Riverwatch Captain's Log

Tonawanda Moonlight Paddle 9/4/09

2009-10-19T15:10:00.004-04:00

Hello everyone! I am Adrienne Kina, the new Citizen Action Volunteer Coordinator here at Buffalo Niagara RIVERKEEPER. I am an Americorps member and will be with RIVERKEEPER for a year. If you ever have any questions about volunteering, rain barrels, EcoTours or general questions feel free to ask!

"Moonlight Success"

By: Adrienne Kina

Unloading six long canoes and hauling the other five shiny kayaks down to the water’s edge, I knew this Moonlight Paddle EcoTour would be one to remember. The 23 of us piled into the canoes two-by-two or hopped into single kayaks. We were a bit wobbly at first, but quickly found our balance as we set off up the Tonawanda Creek. It was picturesque—our pack of paddlers, with the sun low behind us in a cloudless, balmy sky. Ahead of us the moon began its ascent into the atmosphere. The colossal, scarlet orb rose leisurely as a curtain of darkness fell around us.

Our experienced guide taught us about the creek’s ecosystem, while we learned firsthand through the musical samplings and brief sightings of its wildlife. With the moon as our leading light, we followed the twists and turns of the creek, discovering new surprises around every bend. After an hour’s tour up-stream, we had to turn our backs on the moon and begin our journey home. Slicing through the thick mysterious water, we paddled more diligently than before due to the chilly night air stinging our faces and toes. There was little conversation on the way back, as everyone zoned in on the night’s wonders and concentrated on the rhythmic strokes.

Back on land we circled up to discuss the paddle. “It was magical,” one of the kayakers mused. The other paddlers declared the event a wonder, voicing opinions such as, “I’ve never experienced anything like it,” “the smells were so strong, I think I smelled asparagus,” and “I loved it!” At that point, I knew the Moonlight Paddle was a success. I smiled as I thought of my contribution in making this Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper event possible. It was clear to me that the participants left the EcoTour with a new appreciation for our Buffalo Niagara waterways.

2009-08-26T16:52:00.005-04:00

NOTICE THE SHIRT ON THE FAR RIGHT AND LEFT. Robbyn Drake took the shot.....don't know if she meant to catch the composition.

--------Green Team -------------------------Riverkeeper.....great partners. Thanks for all the helpful input in this "class project". We had a fun day getting drenched. We ripped out some knotweed, did the Lamotte Water test kit thing, Met Katie from y'alll yonder Georgia while tolerating Miss Drake.

Captains complete Coast Guard Spill Response Training

2009-04-23T12:24:00.009-04:00

On Thursday, April 9th, about 15 Riverwatch Captains completed the 1st Responder Awareness Level, formerly Hazwoper, training at the US Coast Guard Base at the mouth of the Buffalo River. U.S. Coast Guard Marine Science Technician Scott Wakefield led a great program on how to recognize spill incidents, conduct initial identification & assessments to provide to spill response authorities. Some of the things we learned included how to properly protect yourself from possible contamination, how to proceed to a spill location, and how to use spill response reference materials, such as a chemical's MSDS or the emergency response guide, and what information to relay to the spill response authorities; such as the Coast Guard, DEC, or even emergency personnel.

At the conclusion of the training we were all certified at the Awareness Level (notify authorities and observe spill until they arrive) for Chemical Spills and as a 1st Responder (notify authorities and take defensive measures) for Oil Spills. While this training was great for those captains that want to take their waterway vigilance to a new level we are also providing help to the Coast Guard if the need ever arose. In an incident of a massive spill of some sort Riverwatch Captains could be called into action to help relieve the initial 1st responders and continue remediation efforts.

Thank you very much to all the captains that attended, Robbyn Drake for setting up this unique educational opportunity, and specialist Scott Wakefield for his time and knowledge.

A New Season Is UP ON US!

2009-04-19T17:49:00.008-04:00

This guy was the youngest on site....and the most inspirational. I took this photo laying on the ground, telling him it will make him look like a giant (sneak Physics lesson). Coincidently, Louis correctly modified the Tee shirt. Love OUR water is the lesson the upcoming generation gave me on Saturday. Althoug he was the youngest volunteer, due to his exceptional dad, this is his second cleanup. Teach them young!

Many firsts at this cleanup. Dead deer found.....smelly!!!! No Picture. Pictures don't smell.

An exchange student from China

Dr. Robin Harris joined us on site. Incorporating The Bailey Peninsula (and surrounding area....like anywhere in our watershed) into high school classrooms is my masters project under her guidance. If you have watershed ideas for a classroom.....If you like to write......I can pay you in pizza.

We tried a new material in combating knotweed.

The South Park Green Team logo and tee shirt went for a test ride. On sale soon at a school near YOU!

RIVERKEEPER IS GREAT

Twenty years....of hard work. Thanks for the hat. South Park is signed on in red paint (sorry...can't do the blood thing). But, Red Paint is also thicker than water.

For a complete slideshow visit http://www.buffaloschools.org/webpages/ahovey/pictures.cfm

The Water Monitor Team's St. Patrick Parade float

2009-04-02T08:14:00.013-04:00

Five members of the Valley Community Association's Water Monitor Team rowed in a float that was a boat in the great Old Neighborhood Parade on Saturday March 14th. The streets were lined with green people eager to catch candy and to say that they knew what they were drinking. They said that because the banner on the float asked the question, "Do you know what you are drinking? - referring to the contaminants that flow down our streams to end up in Lake Erie, the source of our drinking water.

The Water Monitor Team is sampling the Buffalo River at three sites on a monthly basis and sending their data to BNR. Water Monitor Team member Kayla Hardy (a student at DaVinci High School) designed and painted the Team's banner. It was rigged on a mast in the center of the boat so that it could turn in a full circle to display on the reverse side the banner of Buffalo-Niagara Riverkeepers.

The Team members riding in the float were Kayla Hardy, Kayla Carpino, Ashley Luna, Eric Prentice, and Jordan Kulesz. Team member Chelsea Locke was marching with another VCA contingent. They were joined by Green Team members Angelo Rosati, Samantha Hayes, and Teresa Vanloan. Our camera person was South Park High School teacher (and Green Team coordinator) Adam Hovey. Ashley, Eric, and Jordan are students from South Park are Green Team members. The Green Team's major project is the restoration of the habitat of the Bailey Peninsula.

The Water Monitor Team is led by the Valley's Science Firsthand program manager, Jennifer Pigeon. The Team is one-third of the VCA's "In Our Backyard" project, a DEC-funded program to increase environmental justice in the Valley Community through gardening, composting, recycling and water monitoring programs. For more information contact Lori Overdorf or Jennifer Pigeon at 823-4707 x 4.

Ice Jam 2009

2009-03-27T16:59:00.009-04:00

February's spectacular Ice Jam on Buffalo River and Caz Creek!
Posted at Captain Mark K's request, with great thanks to Jerry the Intern for the daytime (Feb 10) pics. Night pics are from the eve of Feb 11. Captions follow the photos.

Caz at Leydecker bridge, W Seneca, looking upstream.

Caz at Leydecker, looking downstream.

Caz Creek at Parkside & Willowdale, W Seneca, looking upstream. Just starting to buckle and crunch.

Caz at Stevenson St bridge, looking upstream.

Caz Creek at at Caz bridge, looking upstream and to the left bank.

Caz Creek at Caz bridge, looking upstream.

Caz Creek at Caz bridge, looking downstream.

Confluence of Buffalo River and Cayuga Creek, looking upstream from Harlem bridge.

Buffalo River, looking downstream from Harlem bridge.

Buffalo River, looking upstream from Harlem Rd fishing access site.

Buffalo River under thruway overpass, downstream from Harlem Road fishing access site.

Buffalo River at Ogden bridge, downstream side.

Buffalo River at Ogden, looking downstream.

Caz Creek at Bailey Bridge, looking upstream.

Caz Creek at Bailey, looking downstream towards the confluence with Buffalo River.

Buffalo River, looking upstream at Seneca bridge.

Buffalo River, looking downstream at confluence with Caz.

The Cotter ramming ice at Babcock St.

High water at Seneca Bluffs as the ice jammed at Buffalo River & Caz confluence.

Big jam at Buffalo River confluence with Caz; looking downstream from Mongovan Park.

Riverwatch Intern Update!

2009-02-05T10:28:00.007-05:00

(Cazenovia Creek @ Mill Rd. Bridge looking upstream)

Good Day Riverwatch Captains and H2O concerned citizens,

I just wanted to give a little update as to what I, the intern, have been up to. With January being an extremely brisk month, and waterways being frozen over, I have spent a bunch of time working on our databases and streamlining data collection for web posting pourposes. With that said you may have noticed a slightly different look to the pages that contain the data collection charts.

First we have added a link to Google maps where you are able to see exactly where each water testing site is located. Many of them also have pictures of the exact site with some of our captains in action! I was hoping to be able to add a link to each site that would take me to their exact location, without having to save individual maps, but I wasn't successful in figuring that one out. If any of you have any ideas feel free to share them with me!

Another change you may notice is that we have seperated the data witnessed in the charts into more manageable pieces. I did this so that it would be easier to read the data, as well as manage it on a year by year basis, meaning we have seperate links for data from the beginning of a sites testing data to the end of 2008 and a new graph for 2009. If anyone has any problems with the size of the graphs just let me know and I'll make them bigger for you.

When was the last time you checked out the e.coli data graphs? Beginning with 2009's data you will see multiple graphs when you click on a specific site's e.coli link. The first you will see is the usual graph tracking data on a monthly basis for the entire year. The new graph is a merging of the data you have collected for us with the daily precipitation totals. We did this to help show how precipitation can correlate with the e.coli readings that we get.

Does anyone remember Robbyn mentioning the Icewatch Program in the January Captains Report? If not the US Army Corp. of Engineers Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory in New Hampshire asked for Riverkeeper's help in monitoring the Buffalo River and Cazenovia Creek for ice conditions. Recently I went around to 25 different sites between the two waterways taking pictures of the ice conditions and forwarding them on the Army Corp. If anyone else would like to participate that would be GREAT! Just give Robbyn a call at 716-852-7483. Here is a link to view current conditions on Cazenovia Creek as seen from an Army Corp placed camera!

Well I hope everyone is well and looking forward to seeing you at the upcoming Volunteer Appreciation Party!!!

Fish Cleaning Demo on Martin Luther King Day

2009-01-12T09:27:00.005-05:00

Fish Cleaning Demo
at the Buffalo Museum of Science

Join Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper on Martin Luther King Day, January 19th, at the Buffalo Museum of Science for a fish cleaning and cooking demonstration! Admission is free and there will be lots of other community oriented activities. Other organizations involved in this event are The Wellness Institute, Environmental Education Associates, BlueCross and BlueSheild of WNY, UB Dental School, and many more. For more information, click here.

The first of two fish cleaning and cooking demonstrations is scheduled from 11am to 12pm and the second will take place from 12:30pm to 1:30pm. Each demonstration will begin with a short presentation followed by a 20 minute fish cleaning demonstration, 30 minute fish cooking demonstration, as well as time for taste testing and questions.

By the end of the session participants will have learned the proper way to clean and cook a fish caught in the Buffalo and Niagara Rivers. This is especially important because of the potentially dangerous heavy metals and pollutants that have been found in Buffalo and Niagara River fish species. To read about fish advisories issued by the New York State Department of Health, click here.

If you have any other questions about this event please contact AmeriCorps members, Sheila Saia (ssaia@bnriverkeeper.org) or Krissy Ingleman (kingleman@bnriverkeeper.org).

Fish Pictures were taken from NYSDEC Website at:
http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/269.html

Now Reqruiting for the 1st Annual Great Niagara Boat Dance!

2009-01-06T16:26:00.018-05:00

Calling All Canoes, Kayaks, and Non-Motorized Small Craft!

Happy New Year! Canadian and U.S. municipalities along the Niagara River have declared 2009 as The Year of Our Shared Waters because, in this region, our water is so important to us. We depend on it for our food, transportation, energy, and enjoyment.

Why is 2009 so special?
The year 2009 is special because the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909 established the International Joint Commission--a binational body that manages the quality and quantity of water in the Great Lakes and the Niagara River. One hundred years later, we still need to take better care of our waters and find creative new ways to connect people with the water. Because when citizens connect to the water, they are more likely to protecting our valuable natural resource in the future.

What is a boat dance?
In hopes of inspiring citizens to be involved in the protection of their water, the First Annual Boat Dance will be held on June 12, 2009 to celebrate The Year of Our Shared Waters and the 100th Anniversary of the Boundary Waters Treaty. We are looking for people who enjoy canoeing, kayaking, and sailing and who want to be involved in this synchronized boat dance. All skill levels are welcome to join! Choreographer, Gerald Trentham will combine the movements of our small vessels with music and song. The final performance will take place at dusk and lights on the vessels will allow the boat dance to be seen from the shore.

How can I join?
If you want to be involved in this event, please sign up on the Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper website (www.bnriverkeeper.org) or call 716-852-7483. Our first meeting is on February 9th at the Riverkeeper offices on 1250 Niagara Street. There will be at least four on-land rehearsals in April and May, and an in-the-water rehearsal in early June to prepare for the two final performances. The first tentative performance will be held at the Canoe Club in Canada on June 9th, 2009 and the second performance is scheduled to take place at the confluence of the Buffalo River and City Ship Canal right in front of the Erie Canal Harbor on June 12th, 2009.

For more information feel free to contact Lynda Schneekloth (lhs1@buffalo.edu), Richard Butz (butzra@yahoo.com), or Robbyn Drake (rdrake@bnriverkeeper.org).

FLOW - For Love Of Water

2009-01-04T15:09:00.002-05:00

Sierra Club's Niagara Chapter is sponsoring a free public viewing of Irena Salina's documentary FLOW - For Love Of Water.

January 22, 2009 @ 7pm
Amherst Unitarian Church
6320 Main St. (between Youngs & Transit)
Williamsville, NY

Irena Salina's award-winning documentary investigation into what experts label the most important political and environmental issue of the 21st Century - The World Water Crisis.

Salina builds a case against the growing privatization of the world's dwindling fresh water supply with an unflinching focus on politics, pollution, human rights, and the emergence of a domineering world water cartel.

Interviews with scientists and activists intelligently reveal the rapidly building crisis, at both the global and human scale, and the film introduces many of the governmental and corporate culprits behind the water grab, while begging the question "CAN ANYONE REALLY OWN WATER?"

Beyond identifying the problem, FLOW also gives viewers a look at the people and institutions providing practical solutions to the water crisis and those developing new technologies, which are fast becoming blueprints for a successful global and economic turnaround.

CLICK HERE to view a trailer of the movie!

Following the screening Lynda Schneekloth, UB Professor in the School of Architecture and Planning will lead a discussion and review the US-Canadian Agreement sharing control of the Great Lakes.

Coal Ash Buries Tennessee River Tribs; Creekkeeper Stymied By Security

2008-12-30T10:37:00.014-05:00

On December 22nd in the city of Kingston, Tennessee, a 40-acre coal ash holding pond at the Tennessee Valley Authority's Kingston Fossil Power Plant broke, spilling 5.4 million cubic yards of coal ash into the Emory and Clinch Rivers. The tidal wave of coal ash sludge destroyed three houses and has affected at least 300 acres of Roane County land.

At this point it is difficult to determine the full extent of this environmental disaster. Mercury, cadmium, lead, nickel, selenium and arsenic may be present in coal ash and can have both short and long term effects on human and ecosystem health. Therefore, health hazards depend on the type and amount of a particular metal in the coal ash. Water tests of private wells and springs show high levels of arsenic; one sample was higher than the maximum level allowed for drinking water. TVA said that municipal water was safe to drink but told residents using private wells to stop drinking their water until test results are processed.

Hurricane Creekkeeper John L. Wathen and his brave staff have been on the ground trying to document this disaster and help wherever possible. Unlike in previous disasters, where emergency personnel utilized Creekkeeper in cleanup and rescue operations, the Creekkeeper crew was far from welcomed on the scene. Creekkeeper staff were harassed and ticketed by TVA security. In an Waterkeeper Alliance email, Wathen wrote, "We were threatened with arrest for delivering water to residents in the area.".

The Kingston Fossil Power Plant serves 700,000 people in Tennessee and neighboring states. Each year 120 million tons of coal ash accumulates in holding ponds in order to satisfy this demand for electric power. A small percentage of the coal ash can be used in cement and other building materials but it is suspected that the affected clay dike could no longer hold the growing pile of coal ash that towered 55 feet in height.

Download a radio interview on the disaster with Hurricane Creekkeeper John Wathen:
http://server2.whiterosesociety.org/content/kincaid/KincaidShow-(29-12-2008).mp3

For more information please see the articles below:
Coal Ash Spill Revives Issue of Its Hazards
The Associated Press: Spill May Have Permently Alterned Tennessee Community
NPR.org: Coal May Pose Health Hazard

Photos Taken From http://unitedmountaindefense.org/

Please Watch the Following YouTube Video

Mother Earth's Most Wanted (according to the EPA)

2008-12-11T14:28:00.003-05:00

The government is starting a different kind of most-wanted list - for environmental fugitives accused of assaulting nature. These fugitives allegedly smuggled chemicals that eat away the Earth's protective ozone layer, dumped hazardous waste into oceans and rivers and trafficked in polluting cars. And now the government wants help in tracking them down.

In its own version of the FBI most-wanted list, and the first to focus on environmental crimes, the Environmental Protection Agency is unveiling a roster of 23 fugitives, complete with mug shots and descriptions of the charges on its Web site at www.epa.gov/fugitives.

A top EPA enforcement official said the people on the list represent the "brazen universe of people that are evading the law." Many face years in prison and some charges could result in hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines. "They are charged with environmental crimes, and they should be brought before the criminal justice system and have their day in court," said Pete Rosenberg, a director in the agency's criminal enforcement division.

Riverkeeper organizes Seneca Bluffs Tree Planting!

2008-11-11T15:02:00.004-05:00

On Saturday, November 8, 2008, Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper staff members organized 22 volunteers from D’Youville College, the University at Buffalo, and Citigroup to plant trees at South Buffalo’s Seneca Bluffs Park. Trees were donated by Re-Tree Western New York and technical partners included US Fish & Wildlife and Erie County Department of Environment and Planning. This group worked together through the chilly weather and less than ideal soil substrate to plant 22 trees of various varieties and re-mulch trees and shrubs from a previous planting. Some of the day’s highlights included the discovery of a hibernating frog, which was delicately relocated and buried, and the naming of a certain tree ‘Mr. Woods’ by our volunteer girls from D’Youville College. All the participants had a wonderful time helping the Buffalo River habitat and are looking forward to returning to see the fruits of their labor in the more favorable weather of Spring.

What Do We Do with YOUR Data?!?!?!

2008-11-11T13:45:00.003-05:00

Good Afternoon Riverwatch Captains,

In case you were wondering just what we do with the data that you collect for us please check out the website!!! I have just completed updating all the e. coli and water quality data, that you supply for us on a monthly basis or more, into brand spanking new charts... So be sure to check out just what has been going on at your site from month to month!!!

http://www.bnriverkeeper.org/programs/riverwatch/Water_Monitoring/water_monitoring.htm

http://bnriverkeeper.org/programs/riverwatch/e.coli.htm

Underwater Fish Habitat Enhancement in the Upper Niagara River!

2008-10-31T09:15:00.006-04:00

The New York Power Authority has announced that work has been completed on placing four artificial reefs between the Grand Island and Tonawanda shorelines. The projects are located upstream and downstream of the south Grand Island bridges, off the west shore of Motor Island and off Gratwick Park in North Tonawanda. They are outside of commercial shipping channels and will be monitored with underwater cameras. Populations of various species of fish, including muskellunge, walleye, northern pike and large-and small-mouth bass, are expected to be able to use the structures as areas for safe rest and to forage. This attempt to enhance the Niagara River's ecosystem is the result of terms within the power authoritie's recent 50-year re-license agreement which requires the authority to provide money to local not-for-profits and governments for various greenway projects. Other planned habitat improvement projects include restoration of Strawberry Island and wetlands restoration at Beaver Island State Park.

Where are our fish?

2008-10-18T17:37:00.003-04:00

What's happening to all our fish? If you are a local angler, or know one, you may have heard them grumble about an overall decline in the fish population. Fishes that once were abundant in North American streams, lakes, and rivers are now disappearing, with nearly 40% of all species in jeopardy according to a detailed assessment of the conservation status of freshwater fishes in the last 20 years headed by the US Geological Survey, and including Canadian and Mexican scientists participation. The report goes on to show that 61 fish species are presumed extinct, and 280 species are classed as endangered. In addition there are 190 species considered threatened, and 230 species are listed as vulnerable to extinction.

So what's causing this? Some experts have blamed the decline as effects of habitat loss and degradation, dwindling ranges, and the introduction of invasive species. Another interesting theory has also placed the blame on power plants and other coolant hungry industries. It has been estimated that the intakes of these coolant systems has lead to the destruction of billions of fish and fish eggs.

Please visit the following links for more details on our disappearing fish populations:

http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/sep2008/2008-09-09-02.asp
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081018/ap_on_sc/dead_fish

Mysterious Blobs

2008-10-15T05:31:00.002-04:00

I saw this in Buckhorn Park while water testing on Sunday. Can anyone tell me what these blobs are? Thanks

RiverKeeper's newest intern!!!

2008-10-02T16:39:00.002-04:00

Good Afternoon Riverwatch captains and volunteers!!!

My name is Jerry Krajna and I am a political science / environmental studies student at Buffalo State College interning for the fall semester and maybe even longer. I have recently completed my training on proper water sample & e. coli collection methods and am looking forward to helping out wherever I may be needed. In addition to my sample collection duties I have also been asked to help the organization out with data entry, from all those reports you supply our office with, at various community outreach events and with new captain trainings. I am looking forward to meeting you all at some of our upcoming events and if there is anything I can do to be of help just ask!!! I can be reached through Robbyn or Tom... and don't worry, there is no cat & mouse games played with this Tom & Jerry team!

Wildlife Discovery on Scajaquada Creek!

2008-09-29T10:25:00.006-04:00

Our dear Scajaquada Creek suprised us again when a rumored mammalian predator made a smashing appearance on camera. The celebrity mammal was showing off for three Riverkeeper staff as we paddled the creek collecting water samples.

Can ya see her? There on the rock, posing for the field guide description of her kind as "Sleek-bodied with lustrous fur"? Take a closer look!

She's a Mink, Mustela vison, little cousin to the otter. We busted her playing, swimming around in gleeful spirals in the middle of the creek, but she spied our boats and lept ashore. She's a high-octane little predator, eating anything she can catch on land or sea, and it's a good sign for the health of Scajaquada that she has chosen to live here. We've seen blurry tracks in the past year that gave hints, clues, and hopes, but now it's confirmed: Scaj is home to a new wild creature. Welcome Mink!

2008 Fall Beach Sweep

2008-09-24T11:28:00.005-04:00

Hardworking volunteers from across Western New York partnered with the Buffalo Niagara RIVERKEEPER to participate in the annual Fall Beach Sweep on Saturday morning, September 20, 2008 and helped clean up the shoreline along Scajaquada Creek, Ellicott Creek, Buffalo and Niagara Rivers and many other tributaries.

Cleanup crews picked up trash that included clothing, drinking bottles, shopping carts, mattresses, and car parts. An exciting find was a canine skull at Amherst State Park. The ambitious volunteers went an extra step further by painting over graffiti under the elevated portion of the highway and whacking back weeds that are invading the natural habitat along the creek. 600 Participants from local neighborhoods joined students from McKinley High School, South Park High School Green Team, Houghton College, Canisus College, and Buffalo State College in making a difference in their community.

Following the cleanup, hundreds of participants attended the Volunteer Appreciation party at the American Legion Post 1041 on Amherst Street that was sponsored by the Grant Amherst Business Association and Buffalo Niagara RIVERKEEPER.

The event was made possible by sponsorships from the M & T Charitable Foundation, Teva, Mark Kubiniec and the Grant Amherst Business Association, Commander Tom O’Connell and the Niagara Frontier American Legion Post l041, Wegmans, Tops, Wal Mart, and Target.

Seneca Bluffs Restoration Day!!!

2008-09-19T16:15:00.022-04:00

Seneca Bluffs Park, one of the city's most amazing natural areas, received an extreme makeover this week when over 120 volunteers descended on the park for a restoration work day.

Seneca Bluffs is a 15-acre peninsula nestled right on the Buffalo River. It's a key hotspot for wildlife, from migrating birds to basking turtles to wandering deer. The park is also heavily used by the local community for hiking, fishing, dog-walking, bird-watching and just relaxing.

Volunteers leveled huge swaths of stubborn, invasive Mugwort and Japanese Knotweed that was taking over the park. We then planted fast-growing native species of shrubs and trees with high wildlife value, including maples, serviceberry, birch, buttonbush, redbud, dogwood, butternut, walnut, bayberry, sycamore, cherry, oak, sumac, elderberry and viburnum.

A big thanks goes out to Riverkeeper's partners in this project! HSBC Bank provided over 100 hard-working volunteers as well as trees and shrubs for the effort, and Erie County Department of Environment and Planning and US Fish & Wildlife Service came throughwith vibrant group leaders, equipment and gritty volunteers. Ecology & Environment chipped in with inspiration and ecological expertise in the form of Paul Fuhrmann, one of the original site designers. Erie County Parks brought us a huge load of mulch on short notice.

All in all it was a great day!!! We're looking forward to the next tree planting at Seneca at the end of October. Join us!

Waterchestnut Madness

2008-08-15T11:01:00.010-04:00

Undaunted by a late morning downpour, Riverkeeper volunteers joined forces with US Fish & Wildlife Service, Army Corps of Engineers and NYS Parks to stage a search and destroy mission on Tonawanda Creek. Massive flotillas of aggressively invasive, aquatic waterchestnut plants are colonizing the calm channel around Ellicott Island. The crew sought to eradicate the plants before they go to seed. Despite a full morning's labor, half of the channel yet remains to be cleared.

Riverwatch Captain Tom shows off a canoeload of waterchestnut pulled from Tonawanda Creek. The plant must be carefully removed by reaching underwater and pulling the roots out of the muck to avoid breaking off just the floating portion.

Plant material was weighed in order to track and document the group's efforts.

Paul takes a breather while overlooking a great big bin o' waterchestnut.

The plants were barged to shore by a variety of paddle craft and motor boats.

Riverwatch Captain Mike masterminded the operation.

We'll need more help in two weeks to completely clear the channel!! Volunteers on shore and on the water (with paddle craft or small power boats) are welcomed. Stay tuned for a date and time, or contact the Riverkeeeper office for more info.

Riverkeeper Shipwrights Build 2008 Fleet

2008-08-06T16:17:00.018-04:00

The second annual Riverwatch Boatbuilding Workshop produced four sturdy vessels, in various stages of completion. Workshop leader and Riverkeeper President Richard Butz worked us mercilessly throughout the weekend at Buffalo State College's Maritime Center on the Outer Harbor. Thanks to all the captains and friends who helped out!

Our merry band of Riverwatch folk are inspired by Richard's craftsmanship on the completed Black Rock Skimmer.

Fran shows off his skill at speedy hull attachment on Mac's Weekend Skiff.

Yuri and Bob put their heads together to position the transom on Yuri's skiff.

Our fearless leader planes Tom's transom.

Nella puts some muscle into sanding the bottom while Steven checks the level on his Black Rock Skimmer.

Tom checks the frame of his Weekend Skiff.

Mac paints the sides of his skiff with epoxy prior to attaching the gunwales.

Steven doesn't skimp on the clamps while attaching the gunwales to his skimmer!

Rain Barrels in Buffalo News

2008-07-29T10:25:00.003-04:00

Gerry Rising, the author of the Nature Watch column in the Buffalo News, has written a wonderful article about our Riverkeeper Rain Barrels. He is helping to spread the word about the availability of barrels in Western New York and answers almost every question about rain barrels. To view the article, click on the link below: http://www.buffalonews.com/lifearts/lifestylenews/story/401047.html

RIVERKEEPER Ecotours - Niagara Gorge Trail #8 Hike

2008-07-21T11:05:00.006-04:00

On sunny and humid Saturday, July 19th, 11 guests joined me on a hike, starting from Artpark in Lewiston, along Niagara Gorge Trail #8. As we prepared to leave, hiker Judy Kaleta made friends with a particularly bold young starling who actually started walking alongside us as we began the hike. About 100 yards into the hike and apparently tiring from walking, the starling then jumped up onto a couple human shoulders for a free ride.

This hike is short and not very strenuous but allows people to view the gorge at its deepest and travels right to the base of the Niagara escarpment where the Falls began 12,000 years ago. Ending just a little upstream of the Lewiston-Queenston bridge, we talk about: how the River and gorge were formed; the river's physical dimensions and its place in the dynamic Great Lakes hydrology; the Power Trail--the development of modern hydroelectric power in its birthplace, Niagara Falls; flora and fauna and the unique gorge ecosystem; and the issues facing the Niagara River today. Besides the magnificent gorge from a perspective few people see, other sights on Saturday's tour included turkey vultures and herons fishing, and lots of beautiful wildflowers.

(bird and butterfly photo by hiker Jean Russo)

It takes about 2 hours and, so far, everyone that's taken it has enjoyed it and given us positive feedback. We're doing it again Saturday September 27th at 10 a.m.; for more details and to register (required), please visit our website http://www.bnriverkeeper.org/fbnr/membership/ecotours_over.htm or call our office, 716-852-7483. We also have a hike along Scajaquada Creek August 30th, four more bike tours (various routes) and four more canoe/kayak paddles on the Scajaquada & Cayuga Creeks and Buffalo River the rest of the season. Please visit our website for details and a complete schedule.

The Newly Launched Pipewatch Program

2008-07-16T10:32:00.006-04:00

Riverkeeper is pleased to announce the creation of yet another program to help clean up our waterways!

Have you ever been paddling in, or walking along, a waterway and noticed pipes along the banks that seem to be draining directly into the water? Those outfalls are point sources of pollution and it is imperative that we locate them and find out what is being dumped into our streams.

The Pipewatch Program aims to locate, inspect, and monitor all of the outfalls in the Niagara River Watershed. We are in the first stage of the program where we need to locate all of the outfalls. Once the outfalls have been located we will begin to test the water that is being discharged in order to determine their potential for harming our waterways.

Our dedicated volunteers began paddling our waterways in early June and we have already begun to receive information about the outfalls. As outfalls are discovered and inspected, we will be mapping them so that you can see their locations. This link will take you to our googlemaps page < http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=111647279894937938118.000451841c66d5cfe5511>. Each “balloon” represents one outfall and clicking on the “balloon” will allow you to view a photograph of the outfall.

While our volunteers have been working diligently since the program began, we are still looking to recruit new volunteers. There are thousands of miles of streams in the watershed and the more volunteers we have out there, the faster we will be able to identify the points of potential pollution. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, please contact Robbyn Drake at rdrake@bnriverkeeper.org or by calling (716)852-7483. New volunteers will need to take a short introductory course to familiarize themselves with the program.

Rain barrel surprise

2008-07-15T12:18:00.003-04:00

Our demo barrels are now in the office if you would like to come by and check them out. Robbyn has kindly inspected them from the inside & out!

July 9th - Doing it in the rain.

2008-07-10T10:17:00.006-04:00

Nearly 30 people showed up at The Bailey Peninsula in the rain continuing our efforts at the most beautiful piece of land in South Buffalo. Students from McKinley and South Park met on the bridge and joined forces. We have not been on site for five weeks and it showed. Japanese knotweed encroached on our "retaken" plot. Also, some ......(bad word).....park patron damaged our bench. We repaired it, and placed the roof/table braces. Hopefully, in two weeks the structure will be how we left it, so we can continue progress on it. I think once it is finished, it will get a little more respect from park patrons. The other negative human behavior occuring is cutting the duck bill (all metal-because the wood ones were burnt) tree support wires.

It is impressive to witness teenagers overcome obvious setbacks and persevere and a joy to see the future has capable environmental stewards. Thank you RiverKeeper for keeping winds in my sail during stormy weather.

We will be meeting every other Wednesday until August 20th, RAIN or shine....feel free to join us....after all...it is public space....and voluntary.

All in all, it was a productive day. Check out the entire slideshow by going to The Green Team blog.

Waterchestnut in Tonawanda Creek

2008-07-07T19:51:00.008-04:00

Just wanted to alert everyone to a "new" aquatic invasive plant in this area. Waterchestnut (Trapa natans) has been quite a problem in parts of the northeast (especially Lake Champlain and the Erie Canal near Syracuse). On June 26th, we were conducting a fish survey when one of our technicians, Denise Clay, spotted what she thought was waterchestnut. We went back to take a look and sure enough, there were about 3 or 4 single plants located at the north tip of Ellicott Creek Island. (This is a closeup of a few "rosettes" of waterchestnut taken from the creek).:

This was quite a surprise since the closest known population (in the Canal System) prior to that was in central NY, near Montezuma. The major problem with this plant is it's ability to choke off a waterway, making canoeing, kayaking, fishing, and other recreational activities virtually impossible. Eric Snyder and I then went out a few days later in one of our canoes and found out that the plant is solidly established behind Ellicott Creek Island. Here's Eric with a handful of the plant with the backwater area in the background:

We found it scattered throughout the entire backwater area behind the island. Some colonies are close to 30 feet in diameter. We're hoping to schedule a "pulling day" in the very near future to try and remove the visible plants and get rid of some of the seed bank (seeds can lay dormant for years so it's good to get plants out of there for that reason alone). Meanwhile, if anyone happens to find this plant locally, please let me know. We're planning to survey a few more places along the creek this week to see if its found anywhere else.

Rain Barrels Now Available!

2008-07-07T11:49:00.004-04:00

Rain Barrels are now available through Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper! We are excited to announce that we are selling rain barrels to help citizens to reduce stormwater runoff from their homes and to save water.

Riverkeeper rain barrels are $99.95 plus tax. Order by August 1! There is a 10% group discount for purchases of 10 or more - so we encourage you to a place group order with your friends, neighbors or block association. There is also a special membership offer - only $10 with the purchase of a rain barrel. Cash, check or credit cards are accepted. The 60 gallon barrels come in brown, gray, and green. Great gift idea for the environmentalist or the gardener in your life.

Visit our website at www.bnriverkeeper.org for more info or to order online. You are also welcome to contact me at kbentkowski@bnriverkeeper.org if you have any questions. Help us to KEEP THE RAIN FROM THE DRAIN!!!

Scajaquada Creek Exploration

2008-06-27T14:09:00.022-04:00

Scaj Creek, June 19, 2008. A photo essay.

Kate and Tom embark among tall "tree trunks" on a water testing and monitoring mission.

We are enveloped by lush, verdant shores in this little-known stretch of the creek. The warm water gently ripples in the breeze and overhanging trees are alive with birds.

Navigating the cool drippy caverns beneath the overpasses, our voices echo from the damp concrete.

I befriend the natives, in this case a large Painted Turtle. On a sunny day, we often see half a dozen of these guys lazing together on floating logs.

A week-old Mallard duckling, recently deceased, brings us down with worries of botulism. The deadly bacteria, inhabiting sediment from sewer overflow, has killed hundreds of Mallards in die-offs on the Creek in past years. A female Mallard skulks nearby with one living duckling of the same age in tow, probably this fella's mom and sibling.

Invasive Japanese Knotweed on the right bank makes a picturesque reflection, but crowds out higher quality native species and degrades the precious shoreline habitat. We will return another day to fight this knotweed.

Crashing down the bank into the water comes Scajaquada Bob, a massive Beaver who never fails to make his presence known to other paddlers. Bob has been single and cranky since his girlfriend was hit on the expressway early this year. I swear he's in the picture, 'cause right after I took it he dove under my kayak.

Stormwater dirty with car fluids runs directly off the expressway, through pipes like this one, and into the creek. Yes, there is a better way to do this, and yes, we will ask NYSDOT for it as a part of the expressway reconfiguration coming up in the next few years.

A wild blue iris peers out from the shore.

I catch the Scajaquada Canoe Band playing live!! Kate rocks the house with a killer Hendrix impression.

This creepy problem outfall is dry today, but in the rain it discharges nasty grey water.

Barn Swallows glue their nests to the nice dry beams under the Niagara Street bridge. They flick about over our heads, shouting at us and to one another.

Tom recruits DOT employees to the cause while Kate looks on.

Long live Scajaquada Creek! We will soon return.

Niagara River Duck Lunation

2008-03-17T14:11:00.005-04:00

Lunation: Diving Ducks Muster on the River
(March 2, 2008)

Sunday afternoon, high overcast, about 30 degrees, no wind: My son Taylor and I walk the breakwall from Squaw Island out well past the Peace Bridge to a point where the ice build up blocks our progress. Great slabs of ice have piled up along both sides of the breakwall and out into the upper Niagara rapids, making islands and protected pools where thousands of ducks and gulls are resting or fishing.

Stretching across the river all the way to Canada, whole colonies have sorted themselves by species into separate cold water countries defined by harbor walls and ice spits. They are mainly members of the large and various family of diving ducks, well suited to the deep, fast waters of Niagara.

Scaup, the males as black and white as saddle shoes, are the most common and the most active. They seem to be paired up already and they ride the river like a carnival ride, roller coasting backwards downstream, then flying back up to where they started: a continuing elliptical movement with a bit of diving in between. A brown-backed female is paused on the water, a fish tail wiggling in her bill. At last she stretches her neck and swallows it whole.

Canvasbacks, their big reddish-brown heads wing-tucked, rest in a backwater in one long line, as evenly spaced as beads on a string. They seem to share an exact sense of personal space.

Common goldeneye are present as are the small but beautiful buffleheads, the males mostly white with their great round heads sporting patches of mallard purple and green.

They remind me of the hooded merganser we saw three weeks ago on a sub-zero February day farther down river at the mouth of Tonawanda Creek. He was diving with two red-crested females around the old turnstile bridge pilings. They were so shy they flew off as soon as they saw us, but not before we got a good look at the male’s fully raised circular crest, a yin-yang mandala of black and white feathers half the size of his black and fox-brown body. Vat a duck! First herald of the circus that’s come to town.

Amazing to think this scene has been repeated for millennia at this place where lake meets river and the river turns north, the same way most of these ducks are heading in their annual spring migration.

News from Ellicott Creek

2008-01-28T12:11:00.000-05:00

Ellicott Creek Captain Mark Casper has this update to share with us:

Collected coliform samples from wooden bridge in Amherst St Park, and just below the bridge over Glen Ave. at Glen Falls. The creek level is low (2.3 feet at Sheridan Dr monitoring point) due to ice forming - but not yet frozen over at either site. Outdoor Temp 19 deg F. Water temp 32 deg F. A walk by the Williamsville sewer overflow and siphon-under-the-creek site yield a slight sewage smell, but no obvious grey water - the overflow pipe is plugged at the creek but leaking and running in from several points - but running pretty clear. The cesspool behind the Glen Fitness Center remains clear.

I have kayaked this stretch several times lately - a big spill of styrofoam peanuts along a good stretch of the bank, fallen trees have been cleared out by the Town of Amherst. A really fun time like a giant waterslide with the rapids squeezed higher by the frozen banks and ice coating the creek bottom in the shallows. A beaver has been very busy trying to topple an 18" dia tree down by the Old Motherhouse. I love this creek.

Mark Casper
Riverkeeper Captain
Jan 23, 2008

I agree Mark! Thanks for sending us the news.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2007-12-31T13:07:00.000-05:00

Remembering Riverwatch 2007

Thank you to all our wonderful Riverkeeper volunteers!! We love you!
Let’s bask in the glow of the past year’s highlights. Feel free to write in and add your own.

JANUARY
We launch the Riverwatch program Coliform Testing Campaign with our ultra-modern IDEXX QuantiTray/2000. This is the system used by state and federal agencies for total coliform and E. coli counts in waterways, and the training video is in British, which Robin imitates impeccably to get us all laughing. We house the system at the Great Lakes Center in partnership with Buffalo State College, under the guidance of the late Captain John Freidhoff. We miss you Capt. John!

The Riverwatch team (myself, Robin, Shannon & new intern Chris) investigate a Sanitary Sewer Overflow nightmare on Ellicott Creek at Amherst State Park. I demonstrate to everybody how to crash dramatically through the ice over a foot of freezing flood water (this feels pretty solid here!). A line break causing one of the overflows was fixed by the Village of Williamsville after discussions with Riverkeeper and NYSDEC. We are monitoring ongoing problems there.

The Wehrle Wetland saga begins. Neighborhood activist Ann calls in Riverkeeper to run turbidity tests for stormwater flowing from the construction site of an ongoing wetlands law flaunter. While testing, I am nearly run over by the Hummer of said flaunter, and later I learn that others attempting to test the water are harassed and threatened. We institute a policy of two people per site investigation.

FEBRUARY

Robin and I run our first coliform tests at Whirlpool State Park in the lower Niagara River. After the brisk hike down and back, we sprint to Niagara University to speak as guest lecturers at Reverend Lamb’s Environmental Thought class. Robin proves her mettle as an environmental philosopher and we hand out a whole lot of Riverkeeper t-shirts.

I speak to the Niagara County Legislature, urging their support for a request by Legislator O’Connor to seek restoration funding for Cayuga Creek. Cayuga runs through LaSalle neighborhood of the Falls and all the way north to the Tuscarora nation, with a lot of beauty and troubles in between. The momentum for this project will continue to build throughout the year.

MARCH
The Riverwatch team is invited as guest speakers for the WNY Stormwater Coalition conference as well as a couple of Riverwatch captain Adam’s South Park High School science classes. We get chocolate buffalos at the former, and a dose of Adam’s unrelenting sarcasm at the latter.

Twenty Riverwatch captains enjoy a Wetlands Ecology training at Reinstein Woods State Preserve in Cheektowaga. Presentations on wetlands ecology and state and federal regulations by NYSDEC and Army Corps are followed by and interpretive hike through the preserve’s wetland habitats.

APRIL
We all enjoy Boom Days celebrations at the CPO Club and watch Riverwatch captain Caleb & friends attempting to launch the boom days ball into the River. I am called away to witness a massive ice jam on the upper river across from Gratwick Park. Even in the dark I can see it piling, towering up, hear the grinding and crunching of the massive bodies of ice. I’ve never seen anything like it. The jam lasts for two days.

Over 1200 volunteers work 42 sites for Spring Shoreline Sweep 2007! Reporters from WIVB-TV and several other media sources cover the event, and WNY Media produces and posts a short film on YouTube of volunteers working at Gallagher Beach. Volunteers at Scajaquada Creek, the largest cleanup site, recover 30 shopping carts and a Honda Goldwing motorcycle from the creek. Scajaquada Creek workers also plant spruce and willow seedlings.

The Riverwatch team paddles and samples Scajaquada Creek, starting at the mouth at Niagara Street, portaging the finger dam, portaging the Hoyt Lake dam, crossing the Lake, and doing the whole thing over again to return. We see stunning Caspian terns standing on the Hoyt dam, and Horned Grebes cruising majestically on the lake. There is no worse paddling weather, under 40 degrees and raining hard, but the team doesn’t flinch.

MAY
Robin, Shannon and I rescue a two-day old Mallard Duckling that washed down a storm drain into the mouth of Cornelius Creek, became wedged deep in the riprap and, peeping sadly, began to die. After much feeling around in nasty crevices, cheeping at the duck and fielding inquiries by local fishermen (“you catchin’ frogs?”), we eventually roll enough boulders away to seize the freezing little fellow and bring him in a bag to Robin’s west side apartment. I am on the phone with rehabber Dawn while the others run for lunch, when Duckling comes to and springs across the kitchen table peeping maniacally and looking for Mom. Dawn takes him, thank God, and he is released several months later at Sinking Ponds in East Aurora, a free, fat and happy duck.

Riverkeeper partners with Bob of RIT, Jerry of SUNY at Buffalo and Riverwatch Captain Adam of S. Park HS to develop and install a low-cost Water Monitoring Buoy test model in the Buffalo River and a receiver antenna atop Southside Elementary School. Upon completion, data may then be accessed by Riverwatch Captains and all 35,000 students in the Buffalo Public School system. The project continues throughout the summer, in spite of Adam’s steering skills, Jerry’s disappearance overseas and Bob’s inability to remember anyone’s name (if only we had numbers!). We are on the threshold of launching a functional model in the spring!

The Riverwatch team launches the Stormdrain Stenciling season in Kaisertown, discussing stormwater runoff to Buffalo River with residents of that neighborhood. Over the summer we also conduct stenciling with captains in Tonawanda near the Niagara River as well as Cheektowaga neighborhoods near the upper Scajaquada Creek.

Chris finishes his internship with us. In appreciation of his many contributions to the organization, including getting us out on the water to sample and monitor in his battered, beloved Riverwatch 1 canoe, we all go out to the beach on Lake Erie. We relax, enjoying a clear starry sky and a crackling driftwood fire, happily discussing constellations. Blissfully unaware that we are trespassing in a State Park. We get busted and spend several hours being shouted at with bright lights in our faces.

JUNE
Sixteen Riverwatch Captains and staff spend a day in First Aid/CPR/AED certification training in partnership with Erie Community College and Red Cross. We practice wrapping, rolling and heimliching each other. Later in the month we hold Basic Water Rescue training for 14 Riverwatch Captains and staff at Wendt Beach, and practice seizing each other from the stormy seas.

Tamar and Shannon run a hugely popular fishing derby at Buffalo Riverfest while Robin and I paddle the Riverwatch 1 canoe in the regatta. We launch from Riverwatch captain Yuri’s place near Seneca bluffs, briefly watch the guys trying to row a large raft of horseradish barrels and pallets against wind and current and between bridge abutments, then we flee on down to Ohio St. They beat us there, minus the raft. Robin sings Gaelic folks songs to keep our spirits up on the long paddle back.

Riverwatch captain Adam and his South Park High School students adopt Bailey Peninsula Park on Buffalo River, conducting ongoing all-day restoration, cleanup and fix-up events. Riverwatch captain Yuri instructs 31 adults and children in Buffalo River water testing during a community stewardship program at the Buffalo Museum of Science.

JULY
We enjoy a Boatbuilding Weekend thanks to Riverwatch captain Dick at the Buffalo Maritime Center. Over the course of the weekend, nineteen Riverwatch Captains, Riverkeeper staff and friends participate in the training, which produces a fleet of four sturdy vessels. Dick also captains our power boat tour of Cayuga Creek, and saves the day by magically fixing the seized engine. He has since accepted the Riverkeeper board presidency!

The Riverwatch team, aka the Hamburg 5, are freed from the bogus beach bust charges against us thanks to Mike, our charming and talented legal counsel. Our ACD is up in January, so no beach bonfires ‘til then.

We circumnavigate Grand Island during Paddles Up Niagara in the Riverwatch 1 canoe, with Yuri as captain and myself in the bow. Riverkeeper director Julie paddles with us for the tough morning stretch upstream from Fix Road and around to East River Marsh. Through rough seas and calm, many adventures later we make landfall again in the dark of night at Big Six Mile Creek. It’s the best boat trip ever.

While conducting sampling and monitoring Buffalo River, the Riverwatch team notes a petroleum smell and discoloration in the bank behind the Exxon-Mobil property, and a large drum on the shore. The team reports the spill to the DEC hotline and invites the DEC Project Manager to join us in conducting a follow-up investigation by canoe. Riverkeeper continues to monitor this site each month.

AUGUST
Robin, Chris and I attempt to navigate the Black Rock locks in the Riverwatch 1. We are turned away for lack of power (Chris did not count as a motor). Our sampling trip to Strawberry Island must be accomplished via Ontario Street boat launch. Upon arrival we sample the island bay for coliform, explore the native flora and fauna and loll in the waves. Coliform levels are, thankfully, extremely low.

August expeditions include a solo reconnaissance trip by me to Navy Island, boat rolling practice sessions at Fix Road with Chris, Hyde and Larry, and a painful sprint by me and Robin around Tonawanda Island with a blasting head wind slowing us to a crawl on the upcurrent stretch (sorry for yelling at you to paddle harder; I was in digestive distress at the time).

Chris joins the Riverkeeper staff to conduct Riverwatch Recruitment and Outreach with local fishermen. He and intern Margi speak with families and individuals fishing at sites along Buffalo River, Cazenovia Creek, Niagara River, Outer Harbor, Tifft Ponds, Union Ship Canal, Lackawanna Ship Canal, Black Rock Canal and South Park Lake in Buffalo; and Niagara River, Little Niagara Rivera, Hyde Park Lake and Gill Creek in Niagara Falls. They conduct outreach by land and from the water. Over the course of the season 200 individuals were engaged and 70 Riverkeeper t-shirts distributed, and individuals were recruited to participate in the Autumn Beach Sweep and the Buffalo River and Squaw Island tree planting events.

SEPTEMBER
Autumn Beach Sweep 2007 is expertly orchestrated by Robin, with about 500 volunteers working 27 sites for a three hour cleanup on an unseasonably cold September day. We pick up 7 tons of trash on almost 20 miles of shoreline in the Niagara River watershed. Highlights include removal of over 55 tires from the Ohio St. Fishing Access and ten garbage totes of underwater garbage at the Ontario St. Boat Launch. I find a large pink squeaky dolphin on Ellicott Creek which, sporting a Riverkeeper t-shirt, becomes our office mascot. Nearly 100 volunteers gathered at McCarthy’s Pub on the Buffalo River for delicious food and drinks at the volunteer thank-you party.

A crowd of 18 Riverwatch captains and staff attend a workshop on Benthic Macroinvertebrates led by Riverwatch captain Bill of First Hand Learning. Everyone gets a tour of Riverkeeper’s coliform testing system at Buffalo State College’s Great Lakes Center. Nobody wins the “Guess That Coliform Level” quiz game – better luck next time!

Riverwatch captains and friends test water quality parameters in waterways across WNY in a Five County Tour over Labor Day weekend, including waterbodies in Erie, Wyoming, Cattaraugus, Alleghany and Livingston Counties.

Riverkeeper obtains NYS Dept of Health “Chemicals in Sportfish and Game 2007-2008 Health Advisory” publications and Chris hands out copies to fishermen while discussing concerns over the eating of fish. Chris begins documenting field contacts by asking specific questions including how often they fish, where they fish, whether they eat the fish and if so how often.

OCTOBER
The Scajaquada Canoe Club, a newly emerging force on the Buffalo scene, holds a group paddle on Hoyt Lake. The canoe clubbers, including Riverwatch captains Mark, Tom, Yuri and Hyde, converse with dozens of bystanders and are witnessed enjoying the Lake by hundreds more. One canoer completes the first recorded commute to work via Scajaquada Creek.

In partnership with SUNY Buffalo’s Department of Anthropology, Riverwatch captains and friends enjoy a River Archaeology workshop on several fascinating sites along the Niagara River. We get to hunt for arrowheads on Grand Island and discuss the ancient people that made a living here thousands of years ago.

Riverwatch team expeditions include a trip by Robin and I to assess Chemical Waste Management’s outfall into the lower Niagara River, where we discover and report a massive shuddering heap of acrid foam. Chris and I also explore the upper reaches of Ransom and Black Creeks on Halloween, where we discover algae blooms and erosion problems from golf course runoff, and mystify late-season golfers with our appearance in the water feature.

Riverkeeper and the Scajaquada Canoe Club take NYS Dept. of Transportation and US Fish & Wildlife Service staffers on a water tour of Scajaquada Creek, showing off the creek’s hidden beauty as we discuss opportunities arising from the upcoming 198 reconfiguration project. We also join forces in a picturesque full moon paddle on the creek, which became wild and magical in the darkness. At the rapids we have to struggle upstream in the low water like ungainly moonlit salmon.

NOVEMBER
Riverkeeper partners with local municipalities, agencies, businesses and nonprofits to conduct a Buffalo River Tree Planting at Seneca Bluffs and Bailey Peninsula. We plant 76 red oak, pin oak, hackberry and locust trees, big 8-12 foot high bareroot saplings, with the help of 50 volunteers including Riverwatch captain Adam’s hard-working South Park HS classes. Thanks so much to all the captains that helped pull this project together, particularly Yuri, who not only let us store the giant trees in his house, but also procured and spent all weekend on the tractor with me pre-digging holes in the dark. Thanks also to the local police who were good natured about the above activities. Chris and Robin prove that they are unstoppable by assisting ReTree WNY with their North Squaw Island shoreline planting as well. We will do it again in the spring!

Chris and I undertake the last paddling/sampling expedition of the season, the Scajaquada to Buffalo River Odyssey, on the second rainiest day of 2007 (near constant rain all day for a total of 1.77 inches). We travel up and down Scajaquada with Riverwatch captain Tom, down Black Rock Canal to the lab at the Great Lakes Center, and down along Erie basin marina to the Buffalo River, ending at McCarthy’s Pub on Hamburg St. I admit that I’ve never seen the city look so beautiful as it did from the harbor that night, with the light shining through a glittering wall of rain.

DECEMBER
As of December, 72 active Riverwatch Captains in 8 teams are registered to monitor 20 waterways in the Niagara River watershed!

Our Riverwatch holiday potluck and meeting at Reinstein Nature Center draws 25 captains, staff and friends. We enjoy a hike in the woods, tracking coyotes on ice, and close encounters with semi-wild turkeys.

We bid farewell to Robin and Shannon, Riverwatch team staffers for the past two years, whose AmeriCorps service has come to an end. Thanks so much for all the work you have each done to make the Riverwatch program possible! You are dearly missed.

Riverkeeper moves into our new office at 1250 Niagara Street. Many thanks to all the captains that helped us with moving, painting and carpentry! Everyone is welcome to stop by and see our new digs as we get settled in.

2007 WATER QUALITY SNAPSHOT
General water testing for 8 measures was conducted at 45 stations on 18 waterways by 11 trained captains as well as Riverkeeper staff and interns. Test results are available to the public on the Riverkeeper website and will be updated again in January.

Samples were drawn from 13 local waterways and analyzed for total coliform and E. coli bacteria on a monthly basis, as well as during post-rainfall events. Coliform test results are now available to the public on the Riverkeeper website. Six Riverwatch captains regularly assist with coliform monitoring.

E. coli bacteria counts for lower Buffalo River were low for most city of Buffalo sites following dry weather periods, but frequently tested off the chart (>8 times the EPA recommended limit) after even moderate rainfall. E coli counts for public access sites on the upper Buffalo River and Caz Creek (in West Seneca and South Buffalo) periodically exceeded USEPA’s swimming limit regardless of weather conditions.

E. coli counts at public access sites on Ellicott Creek in both Williamsville and Tonawanda were consistently elevated above the EPA safe limit.

Scajaquada Creek consistently tested off the chart for E. coli (>8 times the EPA recommended limit) at Forest Lawn and Delaware Park locations regardless of weather conditions, with similar readings along the length of the creek during wet weather.

E. coli counts on several Niagara River sites were consistently within the limit for safe swimming, regardless of weather conditions, with the exception of the Black Rock Canal.

BEST WISHES TO EVERYONE FOR 2008!

Good Water News!

2007-12-21T15:30:00.000-05:00

We bring you all good news in this special holiday edition.

Our Canadian neighbors have declared an enormous portion of the rugged, stunningly beautiful northern shore of Lake Superior a conservation area. Stretching for more than 100 miles east from Thunder Bay, this is now the largest freshwater reserve in the world. For the article, including fun quotes about ducks by agency people, see http://www.environmentreport.org/transcript.php3?story_id=3782

The Mississippi River is getting no sewage from Minneapolis this year. Improvements in stormwater management, including use of a city stormwater fee and credit system for the creation of rain gardens, and sewer infrastructure changes have produced the turnaround. The city cut its release of raw sewage from 60 million gallons per year in 2000 to a maximum of 3 million gallons in 2004. For 2007 the city expects to have achieved Zero discharge! More work must be done to maintain this level in wetter years, but the city is on the right path. For the full story see http://www.startribune.com/local/12338876.html

Sustainable energy is becoming more accessible to individual homeowners due to improved small-scale products. Check out the latest report on geothermal, wood, wind and solar for private homes at http://nhbr.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071207/INDUSTRY17/71205033

Michigan just became the third Great Lakes state to approve the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact. This legislation would give authority over water diversions to these states, reducing the chance of our water being piped out west to feed Las Vegas fountain light shows. New York is in the process of approval. Once the states have signed on, the legislation must get through Congress. For the full article see http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071206/POLITICS/712060366/1408/LOCAL

Happy holidays and may you be inspired, enraged and enlightened in 2008!

Water Recyling: Maximizing Your Flush

2007-11-27T13:59:00.000-05:00

On November 30th, Orange County Water District will open the world's largest plant devoted to purifying sewer water to enhance water supplies. The purified wastewater will not go directly to people's taps--that's against the law--but the treated water, which experts say is as pure as distilled water, will replenish the underground aquifers that supply water to 2.3 million people in Orange County. Water officials in Florida and Texas are also considering wastewater recycling, known as indirect potable water reuse.

Great Lakes residents should be thrilled with this project. Every water district that responsibly recycles its own water is one less threat for diversion from the Great Lakes. States with water shortages in the Southeast and West should conserve and reuse their own resources to the maximum extent possible before looking to states that are "awash in water," as Governor Bill Richardson said of Wisconsin.

My First Riverwatch Captain Inspection

2007-11-21T08:59:00.001-05:00

Hi, all...

I'm just writing to share about my first Riverwatch Captain Inspection. I just completed it a couple of days ago at my site on Cayuga Creek in Lancaster. After serving as site captain at both clean-ups this year, I quickly realized that this site needs a bit more help... and I was correct. Even though it was just cleaned in September, the stream is very littered again already. Along with the garbage and trash, the stream is full of tires. It was actually dirtier than before we did the last clean-up!

Below you will find some photos from this inspection and hopefully I'll be able to keep you all posted on any progress/happenings with this site as things progress...

Southtowns Connector?

2007-11-16T12:42:00.000-05:00

ACT NOW!

The New York State Department of Transportation is advocating a $55 million construction project for a high speed highway on the Outer Harbor that will consume 325 acres of land and make access to the Outer Harbor even more difficult.

Riverkeeper supports a different version of the plan known as the "Boulevard Alternative." While not perfect, it will preserve more green space and better access to our waterfront.

Please visit www.buffalorising.com to sign an online petition to protest the current construction alternative and let politicians know that we want access to our waterfront!

Gubernatorial Gas

2007-11-15T13:05:00.000-05:00

Photo: New York Times

Three Western governors, including Arnold Schwarzenegger, are launching an advertising campaign sponsored by Environmental Defense to increase public support for climate change legislation. The 30-second ads will feature the governors in rugged outdoor clothing in scenic spots threatened by global warming. On Wednesday, 9 Midwestern governors and the premier of Manitoba signed an agreement to lower carbon emissions. Read the New York Times article here.

Well, television commercials and signed agreements are all very well, but Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue is employing another tactic to deal with Georgia's chronic drought: a prayer vigil. Hundreds of people gathered on the steps of the capitol building to pray for rain to alleviate Georgia's extreme water shortage.

"Oh father, we acknowledge our wastefulness," Perdue said. "But we're doing better. And I thought it was time to acknowledge that to the creator, the provider of water and land, and to tell him that we will do better."

Perhaps they should have thought of that before allowing an explosion of unchecked urban development with insufficient conservation measures in the scorching Southeast. As one protester of the event said, "I'm praying for a NEW GOVERNOR!"

Click here to read the Los Angeles Times article.

Great Lakes Basin Bulletin

2007-11-14T10:34:00.000-05:00

Veto Victory
Congress fulfilled its threat last week and overturned President Bush's veto of a $23 billion water bill. Bush claimed the bill had too many "pork projects" ballooning costs. The price of the Iraq war so far: $1.2 trillion. Read what Michigan's reps said about the bill here.

The Good and the Bad in Illinois
Illinois just passed a law requiring rain sensor technology on all new irrigation systems that will cease to operate when they sense there is sufficient moisture in the soil. (Golf courses and agricultural lands are exempted.) Read more here.

But once again Illinois shows they are a law unto themselves regarding Lake Michigan water diversions. Most Chicago suburbs out of the Great Lakes Basin already receive Lake Michigan water. Now a handful of other inland communities are seeking approval from the Department of Natural Resources to divert Lake Michigan water because their groundwater is an "unreliable source." Click here to read the article.

Barrel Believers
Ann Arbor, Michigan is encouraging residents to install rain barrels to capture stormwater runoff from their homes. The water department will give a modest discount on their new stormwater rates to all homeowners who install a rain barrel. The city now charges four different stormwater rates depending on the amount of impervious surface and the roof size of houses. Read more here!

The power of cheese
Joe Van Groll, a Wisconsin entrepreneur, has developed a technique to refine permeate, a by-product of cheese making, into pure alcohol ethanol at a quarter of the cost needed to make corn ethanol. He also blends raw canola oil with the ethanol to make biodiesel. The biodiesel runs a generator that powers his plant and enables him to sell excess energy to the power company. What do you know? Read more here.

What about Water?

2007-11-09T10:25:00.000-05:00

The 2008 Presidential Election is a year away, and we're hearing a lot from all the candidates.

They talk about oil, they talk about national security and Iraq, they talk about universal health care and Social Security, they talk about their opponents.

But what do they say about water? About the Great Lakes? What do they say about our most precious, and threatened, natural resource?

So I did a little research. I visited the websites of all the major Democratic and Republican candidates and surveyed their "issues."

Some candidates didn't mention the environment at all. Others addressed climate change and the need for alternative fuels but said nothing about the looming water crisis in our country and the world.

One candidate addressed water use and availability--that candidate was Dennis Kucinich, of Ohio. In 2002, he opposed the nuclear industry's attempt to transport nuclear waste over the Great Lakes, the drinking supply of 42 million people. Kucinich has also developed ten principles called "Water Marks" to serve as a basis for water policy.

These are:
1. All water shall be considered to be forever in the public domain.
2. It shall be the duty of each nation to provide accessible, affordable drinking water.
3. There shall be public ownership of drinking water.
4. Wealthy nations shall provide poor nations with the means to obtain water for survival.
5. Water shall be protected from commodification and exempted from all trade agreements.
6. Water privatization shall not be a condition of debt restructuring, loan renewl, or loan forgiveness.
7. Governments shall use their powers to prevent private aggregation of water rights.
8. Water shall be conserved through sustainable agriculture and encouraging plant-based diets.
9. Water resources shall be protected from pollution.
10. Our children shall be educated about the essential nature of water for maintaining "life."

We should be asking all of the candidates how they plan to protect our water supply and restore the Great Lakes for future generations.

PLANT TREES!

2007-11-08T13:22:00.000-05:00

Join Riverkeeper in planting 80 trees donated by Re-Tree WNY in two locations along the Buffalo on Tuesday, November 13, from 9am to 5pm! Volunteers are meeting at Seneca Bluffs near Seneca and Elk.

Also, this Saturday, volunteers are needed for a major tree planting on Squaw Island in Buffalo from 9am to noon. Click here to visit Re-Tree's website.

Great Lakes Updates

2007-11-07T10:07:00.000-05:00

"The presence of the foam itself is a violation of the permit," acknowledged Maureen Wren, the spokesperson of CWM, last week. In October, Riverkeeper reported that CWM was issuing acrid foam into the river. The DEC maintains that the substance was created by a high volume of wastewater dropping down a long vertical pipe. Just air bubbles, really. Hmm. Read the Buffalo News story here.

On Friday, Nov. 2, Bush followed through with his threat and vetoed a bill calling for $23 billion in water projects, including coastal restoration in Louisiana and $2 billion for Florida Everglades restoration, mentioned in yesterday's blog. Overwhelming support for the bill in Congress, however, will probably override the veto of a bill Bush calls "fiscally irresponsible." Who needs wetlands anyway? Click here for the full article.

In Minneapolis, after twelve years of studies, the EPA is finally removing soil from four neighborhoods contaminated by arsenic from a nearby pesticide plant that operated in the 1960's. Minneapolis residents are upset that cleanup has taken so long to begin after agencies discovered dangerous levels of arsenic in the early 1990's. The contaminated soil is scooped up, wrapped in a plastic liner and deposited in a landfill. (Unfortunately, who's to say that the arsenic burritos won't eventually leak into the landfill, which in turn leaks into local waterways and groundwater?) Click here for the article.

Is Lake Superior the canary in the coal mine for climate change? Superior, the largest, coldest, and cleanest of the Great Lakes, has lost 50 percent of its ice cover in the last 100 years and warmed by 2 degrees a decade since the 1980's. Less ice cover also allows more evaporation, which we've seen in falling lake levels. Read the article by clicking here.

Does Everglades paralysis bode ill for Great Lakes Restoration?

2007-11-06T14:44:00.000-05:00

Picture: Palm Beach County, Florida, New York Times

A four-decade, $8 billion project to restore the Everglades has virtually ground to a halt, and thousands of acres of land in the targeted restoration area have succumbed to development.

Originally passed before the 2000 presidential election, the plan has been buried under an avalanche of other national concerns, like 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, and the war in Iraq. And President Bush is expected to veto a bill for long-delayed federal funding for water infrastructure projects in the area.

For environmentalists in the Great Lakes area, the federal government's willingness and dollars to restore the Everglades has been an encouraging sign that a similar project could succeed to restore the Great Lakes. But with no federal leadership from the Bush administration, it seems that these large-scale restoration projects play second fiddle to a much more expensive war in Iraq.

Just think--the price tag of being in Iraq for just a couple weeks could do much to reverse some of the ecological damages in the Great Lakes that are reaching the point of no return.

Click here to read the full article in New York Times.

Step It Up 2007

2007-11-01T11:25:00.001-04:00

This Saturday, join climate-concerned Buffalonians for a rally to demonstrate concern over global warming and demand a drastic reduction in carbon emissions. The Step if Up movement is a national event, with rallies occurring all over the country on November 3rd.

Meet at 641 Delaware at the Theodore Roosevelt monument at 11am. Click here to learn more about the event.

1969: A Banner Year for River Fires

2007-10-31T16:02:00.000-04:00

In 1969, the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland was so clogged with floating logs, oil, old tires, paints, sewage, and flammable chemicals that the city declared it a fire hazard. Indeed, it did catch on fire in March of 1969, sparking so much public indignation that a legal framework for protecting water, the Clean Water Act, was passed three years later.

But not as many people know that the Buffalo River caught on fire a couple months earlier in January of 1969. (It's not a Buffalo first to be proud of, I know, but we take what we can get.)

David Beach, a blogger in Cleveland, argues that the fire in 1969 was a "great turning point in collective consciousness." By 2019, he says, the 50th anniversary of the river fire in Cleveland, we should push for environmental transformation in the Great Lakes.

Buffalo will share this anniversary in 2019. We missed the Clean Water Act deadline of fishable and swimmable waters by 1983. Let's at least make this deadline.

Mystery Foam Discharged from CWM

2007-10-30T11:28:00.000-04:00

Picture above: yachts moored at the Youngstown Yacht Club

On mornings when the river water is warmer than the air, the Niagara River exhales a misty breath of fog that hovers above the water. Robbyn and I took to the river on just such a day in early October, with a shroud of fog so thick we could barely see in front of us. We hugged the shore lest we drift over to Canada without realizing it or get run over by a motor boat suddenly looming out of the pea soup fog. We launched into the white cloud at Joe Davis State Park and headed downriver.

After a few minutes of paddling, we discerned a yellowish-white substance on the shoreline--it wasn't fog or snow; it was a gelatinous, Jabba the Hut blob of foam. And it was coming from Chemical Waste Management's (CWM) pipe into the river.

Every year, CWM, a toxic waste dump in Porter, flushes out the water from their stormwater retention ponds. Supposedly, they treat it and then release it into the river. They have a permit to do so. However, their permit explicitly states that CWM will "not discharge floating solids or visible foam." Whoops.

Picture: Huge blob of foam at base of pipe, SPDES Permit No. 0072061, Outfall #001

Farther downstream, we spoke with a resident working on his dock. He had noticed the foam and said his property was right next to "some company." A house-cat delicately picked its way across the discharging pipe. Clearly, residents are unaware that an unknown substance is lurking in the vicinity and that parts of it break off and move downstream to private docks. Or that their pets may track it into their house.

The foam has been reported to DEC officials. It's still there, as of October 26th. Anyone who encounters foam, oil, or spills on the river are encouraged to report them to Riverkeeper at 852-7483 or report them directly to the NYS DEC spill hotline at 1-800-457-7362.

Water: a Dwindling Resource and an Increasingly Desirable Commodity

2007-10-29T11:46:00.000-04:00

The United States' Southeast and West are in a phase of severe, chronic water shortages. Atlanta's water supply for four million people, Lake Lanier, could be dry in as little as four months. Experts in the Southwest foresee a 30 to 70 percent reduction in snowpack in coming years. This will dramatically reduce flow in the already beleaguered Colorado River, which provides water to 30 million people in 7 states. Click here for a recent article in the New York Times about the water situation in the Southwest.

All this has our increasingly thirsty country eyeing the Great Lakes more hungrily. Democratic presidential hopeful Bill Richardson, presently governor of New Mexico, hinted that a "proper use" of natural resources involved outsourcing of Great Lakes water to cities like Las Vegas. He quickly denied this after public outcry from Great Lakes states.

It's not just rivers and lakes in the South and West that are threatened by over-consumption, inappropriate development, and global warming, however--the Great Lakes are also shrinking. Levels in Lake Superior are at record lows, and water in Lake Ontario is seven inches below normal. Cargo ships that carry bulk materials must lighten their loads by 270 tons for each inch that lake levels drop. Click here to read the full article in New York Times.

The International Joint Commission, which helps manage US-Canada shared water resources, is starting a five-year, $17 million study to determine whether lower lake levels are a result of cyclical variation or climate change.

Great Lakes water should stay in the Great Lakes. But it's threatened from the outside and the inside. The population in Great Lakes States has decreased, giving Western states a surge of political clout. And some Great Lakes residents who ought to know better think to profit from dry conditions in the U.S. and China by building colossal water pipelines. Canadian journalist Diane Francis rejoiced the commoditization of our water on her financial blog, saying it will fetch a "hefty price" on international markets.

One thing is certain--we will be having a lot more discussion, arguments, and maybe even war about water in our future.

Like to fish and swim? Too bad.

2007-10-26T11:23:00.000-04:00

October 2007 marks the 35th anniversary of the Clean Water Act, a landmark environmental law passed in response to environmental catastrophes of the 1960's that evoked public outrage, such as the "death" of Lake Erie and the fire on the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland.

The ambitious goals of the Clean Water Act, however, have not been met in its 35-year lifespan. The Act called for the elimination of pollutant discharges into waterways by 1985 and fishable, swimmable waterways by 1983. Over 20 years later, almost half of our country's water is too dirty for these fundamental uses. Raw sewage flows into our waterways when it rains. Toxics leach into the water from inactive hazardous waste sites. Wetlands are filled in as protections are rolled back.

The Clean Water Act must be revitalized, toughened, and enforced. No more excuses. As Senator Ed Muskie of Maine argued during the passage of the original Act in 1972,

"Can we afford clean water? Can we afford rivers and lakes and streams and oceans which continue to make possible all life on this planet? Can we afford life itself? Those questions were never asked as we destroyed the waters of our nation, and they deserve no answers as we finally move to restore and renew them. These questions answers themselves."

Niagara River News

2007-10-25T14:31:00.000-04:00

Ontario St. Boat Launch
Have you even been to the Ontario Street Boat Launch? Located along the Riverwalk trail system, it's a popular place to launch a boat or catch a fish. The Black Rock-Riverside Good Neighbor Planning alliance is seeking proposals for a study to evaluate turning a half-mile stretch of land into a park that would include a playground, picnic shelters, indoor meeting space, and a dog park.

Unfortunately, the current preliminary plan also calls for paving over the mouth of Cornelius Creek, which emerges at the foot of Ontario St. Hopefully, the ultimate plan for this site will create a habitat-rich wetland at the mouth of the creek and address the sewer overflows that give the creek a persistent smell of semi-treated wastewater. In addition, Riverkeeper staff have noted crayfish, ducks, and other wildlife at the mouth of Cornelius Creek.

Click here to read the Buffalo News article about this.

Niagara River Toxic Update
Four environmental agencies met last night at the Holiday Inn on Grand Island to give an overview of cleanup efforts on the Niagara River in the last 20 years.

DEC's Don Zelazny said that 21 of the 26 of the most heinous hazardous waste sites have been remediated. The Niagara River is one of the most polluted places in the Great Lakes system, tagged as an "area of concern" in the 1970's by the International Joint Commission, which helps regulate waters shared by the United States and Canada.

Julie O'Neill, executive director of Riverkeeper, criticized the agencies for not seeking out public input or participation in river cleanup. She also criticized the agencies for sitting on the formal cleanup plan for the river, known as the Niagara River Remedial Action Plan. The four-agency commission is also reluctant to frame the remedial action plan to address the whole watershed. Perhaps they think the Niagara River will magically repel all the pollutants it receives from its massive land basin?

Click here to read the Buffalo News article by Aaron Besecker.

Lake Michigan Trout: Prize or Pest

2007-10-24T12:12:00.000-04:00

In the Great Lakes System, lake trout are struggling. They sit at the top of the food chain and help manage the population of smaller prey fish. The federal government stocks Lake Michigan with 3 million lake trout every year. But for some reason, lake trout are having trouble producing offspring that survive. Some biologists think that alewives, a Great Lakes invasive species, produce an enzyme that causes a thiamine deficiency in lake trout. Another theory is that the 3 million lake trout stocked in Lake Michigan every year is not enough to engender a self-sustaining population in a lake that used to have 10 million trout.

Yellowstone National Park Lake, however, is teeming with lake trout. They are regarded as a pestilence that must be ruthlessly wiped out.

Why is the government trying so hard to save trout in the Great Lakes and destroy them in Yellowstone Lake?

Yellowstone managers believe that anglers illegally planted Lake Michigan trout in Yellowstone Lake some 13 years ago. Now, 70,000 lake trout are expected to be pulled from the lake this season.

In the Yellowstone ecosystem, lake trout dominate the native cutthroat trout, which in turn threatens grizzly bears, bald eagles, cougars, loons, and osprey who rely on the stream-spawning cutthroat.

The National Park Service's solution is to aggressively fish lake trout six months a year. Fish are clubbed or punched in the head if they're still alive, gutted, and dumped back into the lake to keep the nutrients in the system. They're not even kept for food because most are too small or too rotten by the time the nets are pulled from the water. At this point, Yellowstone managers hold no hope of eradicating the population; they spend $400,000 a year to control the lake trout population in order to give the cutthroat trout a chance.
Picture: Fishing crew toss the gutted lake trout back into Yellowstone Lake.

Click here to read the full article on Lake Michigan trout in Yellowstone Lake.

Invasive species wreak havoc on the ecosystem to which they have been introduced. The Great Lakes have over 180 invasive species, costing us billions of dollars in damage and management every year. Click here to read more about invasive species.

Scajaquada Canoe Club Reinhabits Hoyt Lake

2007-10-23T11:23:00.000-04:00

This past Sunday, the Scajaquada Creek Canoe Club, many of whom are also Riverwatch Captains, took advantage of splendid late-October weather to paddle Hoyt Lake and partway downstream on the Scajaquada. Picking up garbage along the way, the group also spotted a leak in the dam that separates the creek from Hoyt Lake's north bay. A couple of lightposts that had been replaced along the expressway were also seen discarded into the stream! One interesting fact about the paddle: one Canoe Club member was dropped off at her job at the Historical Society--possibly the first commuter trip along the Scajaquada by canoe!

How Much We Love Buffalo River

2007-10-09T14:34:00.000-04:00

Riverkeeper's October Buffalo River monitoring run began with the winds against us, literally, as we attempted to launch from Erie Basin Marina beach into a wild surf. Having shoved off the Riverwatch 1 canoe bearing the rest of the team (staffers Chris and Robin) into the maelstrom, I stuffed the nose of Riverwatch 2 kayak into a nice big wave and paddled out to join them.

It's always moments like these, sitting in 3 inches of wet water, with the summer conspiciously over, that I remember to buy that spray skirt thing to keep the water out of your boat. It's only been happening for, like, 10 years. Anyhoo, there we were plugging away for the mouth of the Buffalo River, but the gusting wind and relentless waves were just too much for big ole Riverwatch 1 which became first ornery and then impossible, bent on destruction upon the toothy riprap of the harbor's improved edge. Chris heeled around for shore and we beached the boats abruptly, like a couple of depressed whales. They lolled there, bashed by unsympathetic waves, as we contemplated hauling them back up over thirty yards of driftlogs and boulders to the (one) car.

Morale was really flagging, so we cracked out our lunch snacks and had a picnic. Afterwards, being wet anyways, we jumped over some waves (see photo evidence). Outlooks considerably improved, up we loaded and ahead we forged to Buffalo River's Smith Street launch, stopping on the way to pick up a coliform sample from Ohio Street.

The big river was just calm as could be, and the only wind to speak of was a tail wind. We paddled onward. Angry kingfishers rattled at us. Herons whooshed pterodactylly overhead. Fish leaped. Our clothes began to dry. We held a moment of silence under the South Park bridge for those departed. We documented presumed pump failures at the Mobil site that were allowing contaminated, black, diesel reeking groundwater to seep out the bank in its manifest destiny push for the river.

Our lunch for breakfast had worn off by the time we cozied up to Charlie O'Briens, a fine purveyor of Irish food and drink right on the river shore. O'Briens is conveniently located quite near the headquarters of B.R.A.W.N. (Buffalo River Assembly Wednesday Night), the conveners of which are in collusion with Riverkeeper, so we stashed our gear there and headed in to BLTs and other good things.

Back in the river, we headed to our pickup location at Harlem Road Fishing Access site, documenting the gross sewer overflow issues near Ogden Street along the way. Maybe someone was shooting a movie, as we found a Universal Studios scene changer and encountered a slick of fresh blood on a bleached tree beached in the middle of the river.

Diving into the usual car-and-boat crunch fiasco, with the help of Riverkeeper staffer Shannon and her trusty minivan, we got Chris to work, my car back to the boats, the boat back to Chris' and Robin & I back to the lab with our seven samples to run for total coliform and E coli counts. We'll be back in November to do it all (well, hopefully not all) again!

Strawberry Island Adventure

2007-10-04T10:50:00.001-04:00

The mighty Niagara River has fourteen islands. Are you surprised there are so many? Some of her islands are like luxury cruise ships--they're so big, developed, and separated from the water that it's easy to forget you're on an island. From south to north, they are: Squaw Island, Strawberry Island, Motor Island (also known as Frog Island or Pirate Island), Beaver Island, Grand Island, Tonawanda Island, Navy Island, Cayuga Island, Goat Island, Three Sisters, Green Island, and Bath Island.

On September 19th, the ultimate destination of Riverkeepers Robbyn Drake, Chris Murawski, and Robin Douglas was the beautiful Strawberry Island. Once over 200 acres, Strawberry Island was mined for gravel in the 19th and 20th centuries and has diminished to approximately 20 acres.

But first, how did we get there? We decided to launch from Broderick Park at the foot of West Ferry in Buffalo. We considered launching from the riprap into Niagara River, but we were solemnly informed by a local handyman visiting the park that the current there rushed along at 21 knots, leaving no room for mistakes at launch. Also, we could potentially have a run-in with the border patrol if we crossed under the Railroad bridge. So, we decided to launch in the Black Rock Canal and attempt to pass through the lock at the northern end of Squaw Island.

As we approached the lock, we couldn't see anyone in the lock office. Should we climb the ladder? Should we wait for a larger boat and tag along behind? Finally, I ventured to call out "Hello!" The sound seemed to echo off the metal barriers along the side of the canal and the chain link fence that seemed excessively precautionary at this leftover of the Erie Canal. An Army Corps employee finally emerged from the office. We asked if we could pass through the lock in a canoe. The answer was--no. Apparently, you have to have a motor on your boat for the magical "Open Sesame." We rapidly considered and discarded several motor improvisations for our canoe--get a straw and blow into the water? make motor noises? Oh, bother!

Now what? Portage half a mile over Squaw Island or return to Broderick? The portage seemed too laborious to our already growling stomachs, so after much debate and several fortifying snacks, we returned to Broderick Park, reloaded our canoe on the car, and headed to Ontario Street Boat Launch.

From the Ontario St. launch, we cut across the wide river towards Strawberry Island. I've only seen Strawberry Island from the bike path so far, but I've always thought the island exuded mystery and enchantment. I could imagine falling asleep on its shores and waking up a hundred years later like Rip Van Winkle. Its peculiar shape, with two arms reaching out into the river at the northern end, must embrace secret inland coves with fish and waterfowl living almost completely undisturbed by noisy, invasive humans. Its verdant vegetation could hide unique island animals living and evolving separately from mainland species. Or would we surprise an adventurous deer or coyote who swam across the river to explore its entrancing shores?

As we approached, we could see the trees favored by nesting cormorants. Their droppings had killed several trees on the shore and had given stripped boughs of one tree the appearance of outstretched bleached bones. There seems to be an undercurrent of cormorant resentment--they compete with anglers for fish and they did after all kill a couple trees. And how glamorous is a bird who throws up when they're alarmed? But I was struck with their dignity as they sat like an avian tribunal in their bone-tree and looked down to watch us paddle by, as if they were a sphinx or oracle charged with extracting a password from all who wished to pass or raining down an unmerciful death. They calmly watched us pass by, however--perhaps because we didn't have a motor?

We paddled around the island and entered a cove at the northern end. Chris climbed into a cottonwood leaning precariously over the water. The tree was more over water than land, as if it was pushed off the land by the mob of riotous undergrowth along the shoreline. The water was crystal clear and refreshingly cool. We found clams as big as my hand and as old as I am burrowing into the river clay. We picked them up to admire their size and beauty and carefully replaced them in the mud. Clams that wild and wise aren't meant for chowder.

We pulled the boat up on the beach and cut across the island on a small path. There were toads everywhere. I was afraid I would step on them. Robbyn and Chris had sharper eyes and would point them out every other step. A couple sunbathers lay on the beach on the southern side of the island. I gathered some small smooth pebbles, marveling that the gentle waves would eventually turn them into particles of fine sand. We returned to the cove and waded in the rich chocolate mousse muck that felt more luxurious than any spa treatment. Robbyn and Chris swam in the river and caught crayfish lurking under the rocks with the zebra mussels. Pirate Island loomed in the river ahead, shrouded in its own mysteries.

At last, we left to paddle across to our final destination, the Tonawanda boat launch. Had a hundred years gone by while we frolicked on the island? Not this time.

September 15th Cleanup!

2007-09-24T11:34:00.001-04:00

Hello everyone,

Over 500 volunteers turned out on an unseasonably cold September 15th for Riverkeeper's Autumn Beach Sweep. The pictures from above are students at Old Bailey Peninsula on the Buffalo River, our new dolphin mascot found along Ellicott Creek in Williamsville, tires at Ohio St. Boat Launch, Jim Metzger with a shopping cart at Squaw Island, Houghton College honors students at the mouth of Scajaquada Creek, and volunteers along Cayuga Creek in Lancaster, respectively. Over 18 miles of shoreline were cleaned in one day and several tons of trash removed. Among the strangest items found were an inflatable pink dolphin along Ellicott Creek in Williamsville and a toilet along the Buffalo River on Old Bailey Peninsula. All volunteers received an environmentally friendly t-shirt designed by Buffalo's own Planet Love.

Thanks to all who participated! We appreciate your stewardship of your waterways!

Boston!!!!

2007-09-09T18:35:00.000-04:00

To the Riverkeepers- My adventure in Boston has finally begun! It was hard to make the transition, but I am beginning to really love it here. As I was walking in Back Bay, I stumbled on this plaque, and started to clap my hands in excitement. It reminded me of BNR's efforts to stencil the streets of Buffalo and WNY. There were many of these plaques around the area, it seems that Back Bay was a landfill? Well, thats it for now! Go Riverkeeper Go!

Scajaquada Paddlers Go Up the Creek Again

2007-09-05T09:45:00.000-04:00

This past Saturday nine boats and 13 paddlers turned out on Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper's third Eco-tour of the season on Scajaquada Creek. Participants ranged from recreational canoe-ists to professionially outfitted kayakers, led by the Riverkeepers' Larry Brooks and Robbyn Drake, and neighborhood guides Tom Hryvniak and Mark Kubiniec.
On the positive side the bucolic morning paddle was highlighted by sights including a green heron, several great blue herons, black-crowned night herons, schools of bass, tons of dragon and damsel flies, and a beaver den.
On the negative side therewas lots of graffiti on the newly refurbished concrete highway piers, seven Tops shopping carts by West Avenue; and six shopping carts, machinery and several
55 gallon drums embedded in the water. At three points between Grant and West Aves the Creek was nearly non-navigable due to tree trunks across the Creek. There are two very shallow points near the Grant Street Bridge where several of boats bottomed out. The finger dam at the foot of Peter Street is once again nearly stopped up by debris and has created a stagnant stinking pool above the dam.
The signs of life in the Creek are encouraging, and the recreational paddle is truly an eye-opeing urban waterfront experience. Future paddles and hikes are being planned by Riverkeeper and the Scajaquada Canoe Club to take place in 2008.
Riverkeeper's next event is the Autumn Sweep on Saturday September 15th, held once again in conjunction with the Grant Amherst Business Association. The clean-up meets at the American Legion Post on Amherst Street at 9AM. All are welcome to help support the cleaning up and redevelopment of Scajaquada Creek.

Monitoring Buoy Deployed in Buffalo River

2007-08-31T17:26:00.000-04:00

Through a fruitful partnership involving Riverkeeper, RIT and Buffalo Public Schools, Water Monitoring Buoy # 1 was deployed this morning on the Buffalo River near the Seneca Street bridge. This experimental low-cost buoy will transmit temperature data at three depths to a receiver affixed to the roof of Southside Elementary School. South Park High School's notorious Labman even made an appearance during the receiver installation.

We plan to install two other buoys this season, on Caz Creek and Buffalo River. Additional measures, including turbidity, may eventually be added to the buoys. The real-time data collected by these buoys will be available for use by all students in the Buffalo Public School system. The buoys will help us to track trends and variations in the conditions of the tributaries and the River.

Urban Dragonfly

2007-08-24T18:01:00.001-04:00

Shannon found this fellow outside of Riverkeeper's Main Street office downtown. His flight muscles were damaged, possibly from being pecked by a bird, and he was unable to fly. Our ornithology go-to guy Jim Landau helped us identify him as a Swamp Darner (Epiaeschna heros). Click on the pictures for a full size image.

Navy Island Recon Expedition

2007-08-21T11:45:00.000-04:00

Navy Island Reconnaissance
Sunday August 20, 2007
Robbyn Drake, Captain & Crew

(As transcribed from notes during the expedition. Times may be approximate.)

1:00 PM. Launching the Riverwatch 2 solo from Eagle Overlook, Grand Island. Weather report: Mixed clouds. Moody. Chirpy. Kinda hot. Will have to watch for storm action.

1:12 PM. Arrive at Navy Island and call Canadian authorities as instructed (by Canadian authorities, this morning). Bon jour! They want to know if I am carrying guns, fruits, animals, explosives, beer, vegetables, cigarettes, $10,000 in cash, other people or items for resale in addition to myself in this 10 foot kayak. I am amazed at the possibilities. Then we have a problem because Riverwatch 2 has no identification number, other than “2”, which is not actually on it. For five minutes the excessively polite and increasingly flustered fellow and I seek a number on the boat, until I finally accidentally sit on a thistle in the process (Ow! What? Nothing.). I write my birthdate on the boat in blue ballpoint and read it to him. He seems relieved, hanging up quickly.

1:17 PM. It feels good to have Navy Island at my back, river lapping at my boots in the gravel – better than the mainland or Grand Island. The water is like glass today, so clear that coming over I could see the exact spot where the bottom drops out of sight into blackness. Then there is just the current rippling and sliding at the surface like the muscles of a massive animal. I should have brought some food.

1:25 PM. The immediate forest is spiky Hawthorn with a few Ash, dead Elms and a lot of deer sign. Poison ivy abounds, mostly in the trees. There is a vine of it thicker than my lower leg. I'll move counter-clockwise around the island. I hope I hid my boat and paddle well enough. If not, guess I’ll become an islander.

1:35 PM. I encounter a ditch with 30-year old trees growing in it, running due west. On the shore side it enters a culvert about a foot in diameter. I wonder if this is from the hoteliers of the early 1900’s or the 1800’s farmers.

1:45 PM. Big trees and seasonal wet forest (says the dark stained leaf litter). This place is underwater in the spring! Right now it is bone dry and all the nettles are wilted. There is little evidence of human traffic. Even the beer cans look like they’re from the 80’s.

1:55 PM. I just heard a couple of whistles that could be bird or human. A jay screamed too, in the same direction. I am rather hoping not to meet any humans or feral dogs. A wolf would be okay.

2:05 PM. Am hearing a dog barking kind of frantically from the same spot as I move. Hmm. From a boat, or stranded on the island? I’ll set a course a little closer to shore and see.

2:15 PM. Found a big turkey feather! Two deer leap up in front of me – they are small and rather orange. Coyote scat is on the deer trail.

2:25 PM. I stuff some raw walnuts into my pack in case I get desperate. Found the skeleton of a young female deer on the edge of a field. Teeth are still very sharp, probably a yearling. The bones are scattered as in a merry feast. This should be Deer Island. Navy Island is a stupid name.

2:40 PM. Whoa! A huge fence, 10 foot high of chainlink & wide chickenwire, strung on wood posts set in cement. A sign partially crushed by a tree says “Deer Exclosure, 2004, Pen 2”. The pen is several hundred yards square. It has a lot more forest floor plants than the surrounding landscape.

2:50 PM. Here is the biggest cottonwood tree I have ever seen. The grooves in the bark go deeper than my second knuckle. A cavity at the base is big enough for me to sleep in. The wind through the leaves sounds startlingly like waves crashing on the lake shore.

3:50 PM. Flushed two snipe, poked a big monarch butterfly caterpillar, scrambled through thick brush and fallen trees, discovered a recently eaten pigeon, several campsites, at least half a dozen mostly female deer carcasses. The Canada-facing shore has more trash; probably because it is more accessible to boaters (the shallows don’t extend so far). Having just discovered two redneck toilets (plastic lawn chairs with holes hacked in the seat, the sharp edges smoothed with duct tape, empty beer cans scattered to the right), and beer bottles sprouting like strange growths from tree branches, I think it’s time to cut back across the island and find my boat.

4:14 PM. Footsore & hungry I arrive back at my boat, which is still there in spite of some fisherman checking it out. I wave and they motor away from the dirty twig-haired sweating girl with walnut bulging backpack. There’s a good chop on the water now, between the wind and some squealing tubers (humans, not potatoes) hurtling by at the end of a tow rope town by a massive cabin cruiser. I contemplate peeling and cracking the walnuts, decide to leave them on the beach for the next traveler.

Reconnaissance successful! I love Navy Island.

Grand Island Circumnavigation Report

2007-08-02T12:38:00.000-04:00

Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper staff & friends undertook an eventful, if grueling, spin around the big island this past Saturday during Paddles Up. We had Riverkeeper director Julie O'neill in the bow for part of the trip, I paddled "amidships" and in the bow, and Riverwatch Captain Yuri Hreshchyshyn took the stern. Our vessel was the battered but sturdy canoe Riverwatch 1. None of us had ever made the trip before, either by canoe or kayak.

Yuri and I launched from Big Six Mile Creek marina into the West River in a dense fog at about 9am. The air was dead calm and the water smooth and glassy. We took a little trip toward Canada and invoked the interest of the border patrol, but no one stopped us (thankfully, since Yuri's passport was safely locked in his car at East River marsh). In an hour or two we made contact with Julie and picked her up somewhere near Fix Road as the fog lifted. With all of us aboard and paddling (and Julie an ex-rower), we made good time but were awfully short on freeboard. We were having fun, laughing really hard and maybe almost capsized on a couple of occasions, especially with big boat wakes rolling in from different angles, but made it to Little Beaver Island for our first break.

Then it was on to East River marsh, passing and greeting the scores of Paddles Up paddlers on the way (who were by this time returning). Our timing was just right as we got to see pretty much all of the boats this way - what a great turnout! At East River Julie left us, having her son's 7th birthday party to attend. We launched again, with more freeboard but less power, into a very disappointing headwind that negated our long-awaited downstream drift.

Through heavy powerboat traffic and high seas we plied the East River, finally catching the strong current and losing the headwind somewhere around the south Grand Island bridge. We rounded the bend near Tonawanda Island and began looking for the north bridge, way too soon. Seemingly hours went by and no bridge, and Yuri suggested that we had been paddling so long, perhaps they had taken it down. Finally he went on hunger strike, vowing not to eat one more Triscuit until the bridge appeared. I began to enter an alternate reality, sleep-paddling while imagining I was a fish under the river, between being shaken into alertness by the larger wakes. Eventually we stopped paddling and drifted helplessly. The bridge obliged by appearing around the next bend.

With the hunger strike over, we paddled across to Cayuga Island to stop at Justin Tyme on the River to fuel up. We tied up next to the cabin cruisers and dragged ourselves over the seawall, fighting the desire to lie down and die, and instead sat outside on our sore asses and ordered some dinner. After a brief rest it was back across and through the gap at the point of Buckhorn State Park in a pinkish sunset.

This is the part of the trip involving anguish. We spent a while paddling in the Navy Island torrent, standing still, having intended to cut the corner of the island. There was also a sail we attempted to deploy but I won't get into that. We pulled into Eagle Overlook the worse for wear, to pee and regroup. We relaunched and crept up the shoreline. Darkness fell. A big moon rose. We paddled. I took a break while Yuri paddled. Crickets chirped in the warm evening air. We paddled some more. Our harbor light appeared in the distance! Hooray! We began to paddle very hard. The light did not get any closer. We were out of sweat. The lights of another boat appeared way in the distance, merrily motoring into the harbor. We began to paddle very hard again. A car went over the bridge over our harbor, far far away. Yuri hurled the paddle into the bottom of the boat and quit. I paddled while Yuri took a break. The moon rose some more. We paddled some more. The bridge over Big Six Mile Creek loomed at last above us.

We scraped onto the launch at 10PM, thirteen hours and many miles after our departure. Listlessly, we rejoiced.

Riverwatch Captain Boatbuilding

2007-07-26T16:10:00.000-04:00

Nineteen Riverwatch Captains, Riverkeeper staff and friends gathered at the Buffalo Maritime Center this past weekend for two days of boatbuilding madness. Our efforts produced four sturdy vessels, including one 6-hour canoe and three 8-hour canoes. We will be adding to the fleet on an annual basis, so don't miss next year's session. Many thanks to Dick Butz of the Maritime Center and his wife Gail, who designed the boats, led the session and put up with us all weekend!!

Mysterious Buffalo River lightboat

2007-07-26T15:45:00.000-04:00

This suspicious vessel was spotted near Seneca Street on Buffalo River last week. Anyone with information should contact the U.S. Border Patrol immediately.

2007-07-09T14:40:00.001-04:00

Water Safety Training at Wendt Beach

On June 30, fourteen intrepid captains, staff, and teachers ventured to Wendt Beach on Lake Erie for a water safety/rescue training led by Carol Reis of Erie Community College.

Captains received classroom instruction on water safety and rescue strategies and then braved a choppy, windy Lake Erie to practice their new skills.

In the photo above, Riverwatch program director Robbyn Drake cruises toward the shore on an ocean kayak. (Note she is wearing her life preserver!)

First Aid/CPR/Water Safety Training a Success

2007-06-06T10:08:00.000-04:00

This past Sunday, 16 Riverwatch captains and staff gathered at the Red Cross for a training in first aid, CPR, and water safety. Captains were able to obtain certification cards in first aid and CPR. The training was offered to captains at no charge by a professor at Erie Community College.

In the picture to the left, Robbyn Drake has just finished wrapping Larry Brooks's arm in a splint.

Riverkeeper is hoping to offer an additional water safety training this month using a pool facility. We'll send everyone an e-mail when we know the details.

Hope to see you all there!

Spring Shoreline Sweep

2007-04-12T15:45:00.000-04:00

Our Spring Shoreline Sweep is coming up April 20-22! Over a thousand volunteers will be helping out this weekend at 42 sites in our watershed.

Please join our cleanup effort and help beautify our community!

Sites that still need volunteers include:

**Old Bailey Woods (Buffalo River, Buffalo)
**North Creek Drive Park (Scajaquada Creek, Cheektowaga)
**Scajaquada Creek, Elmwood to Grant (Buffalo)
*Tifft Nature Preserve (Tifft Ponds, Buffalo)
*Gratwick Park (Niagara River, North Tonawanda)
*Buckhorn State Park (Niagara River, Grand Island)
*Niawanda Park (Niagara River, Tonawanda)
*LaSalle Park (Niagara River, Buffalo)
*Niagara Falls, multiple sites (Cayuga Creek)

Please call or e-mail Robin Douglas (852-7483, robin@bnriverkeeper.org) for the dates and times of cleanups at these sites.

Thanks!

Emerald Shiners in Niagara River

2007-03-22T15:35:00.000-04:00

While water testing at the Ontario Street Boat Launch and North Squaw Island on Wednesday, March 21, fellow intern Chris Murawski and I observed massive schools of Emerald Shiners congregating near the surface of the river. A member of the minnow family, the emerald shiner grows to about three and a half inches long and has a distinctive emerald sheen on its back. They can be found in large, deep lakes and rivers from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, and they generally travel in schools. Given their abundance, they are often used as bait fish. The shiners in this photograph are actually under a thin layer of ice in Black Rock Canal. There were hundreds of gulls in the area who looked like they really wanted to peck through that ice . . .

Erie County Water Authority supervisor falsifies positive E.coli reading

2007-03-15T15:55:00.000-04:00

Today, Artvoice and Buffalo News reported that a supervisor at the Erie County Water Authority tampered with a water testing report to cover up a positive E.coli reading from a water sample taken at Dodge Elementary School in Amherst on January 16. Subsequent tests taken at the school and the surrounding area yielded negative results.

The ECWA uses the IDEXX quanti-tray/Colilert testing system for its E.coli testing. Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper also uses this testing system, in which a re-agent is added to a sample, sealed in a tray, and incubated for 24 hours. If E.coli is present, the tray appears phosphorescent under a UV light.

Was the sample incorrectly taken? Or was the presence of E.coli in Amherst's drinking water an anomaly? Either way, it is a felony to falsify a water quality report. According to the narrative published in Artvoice,

The job of monitoring water quality is not a difficult one but is an important matter of public trust. Citizens have the right to know the whole truth about the quality of their drinking water.

EPA is investigating the case, and the ECWA has announced that its board of commissioners will determine any disciplinary action for the supervisor.

New Book on the Shocking Costs of Oil Addiction

2007-02-22T14:41:00.000-05:00

"Our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children's futures. And we are all mortal. And is not peace the right to live out our lives without fear of devastation--the right to breathe air as nature provided it--the right of future generations to a healthy existence?"

--President John F. Kennedy, Commencement Address to Washington University, June 10, 1963, quoted in Lives per Gallon, chapter 7.

Smog. . . spills. . . wars--these are some of the costs of our oil addiction described by Terry Tamminen in his new release, Lives per Gallon: The True Cost of Our Oil Addiction. In its journey from drilling rig to tanker to pipeline to refinery to storage tank to car to combustion, every gallon of gasoline that we burn adds 25 pounds of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. Worldwide, vehicle emissions account for 85% of all benzene pollution and 80% of carbon monoxide emissions. In fact, Tamminen compares our country's relationship with the oil industry to Faust's compact with Mephistopheles.

His tally of the economic , environmental, and physical health costs associated with our oil habit are truly astounding. Consider the six most dangerous pollutants in smog that we are all exposed to everyday:
1. particulate matter is petrolegum that hasn't burned in the engine, especially a diesel engine. Inhaled, it causes respiratory ailments, cardiopulmonary disease, premature death, and low birthweight babies.
2. volatile organic compounds (VOCs)--known carcinogens and reproductive toxens found in gasoline. Benzene is particularly nasty.
3. ozone--a leading cause of asthma; children are especially vulnerable.
4. nitrogen dioxide--irritates the lungs and causes bronchtis.
5. carbon monoxide--robs the blood of oxygen.
6. lead--although eliminated from most gasoline in the US in the 1970s, lead from fuel exhaust polluted soils along roadways, so as the soil dries out, lead becomes airborne and is inhaled. Also, lead is still present (in high levels) in aviation fuel and NASCAR racing cars fuel.

While the oil industry gets rich off the unprecedented price of oil and enjoys increasingly generous federal subsidies and while auto manufacturers balk at making lower-emission cars with higher fuel economy and stall the mass marketing of cleaner technologies, the people who live near roads and highways might as well smoke a half-pack of cigarettes a day. And the polar ice caps keep getting smaller.

Tamminen offers a compelling argument for cracking our oil addiction as soon as possible and achieving energy independence. To this end, we must conserve gasoline (see tips below), maximize fuel efficiency and evolve to hydrogen fuel. The oil companies and auto manufacturers must see that the health of people and the environment is more important than their profit margin.

Fuel conservation tips:
1. Drive at the posted speed limit.
2. Keep your tires inflated.
3. Turn the air conditioner down or off.
4. Avoid "jackrabbit starts" at intersections.
5. Use motor oils with "Energy Conserving II" label.
6. Don't "top off" the gas tank--gas expands as it gets warm and will discharge through vents if there's no space.
7. Travel light.
8. Turn engine off instead of letting it idle.
9. Use public transit to commute.
10. Don't buy high-octane gasoline--making this gasoline takes a lot of extra energy, and most cars can run below even the lowest octane offered at the gas station.

New Intern Says Hello!

2007-01-29T19:19:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone, I just wanted to introduce myself as the newest addition to Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper. My name is Chris Murawski and I will be serving an internship with the organization for the Spring 2007 semester. I am currently working on an undergrad degree in Biology at Buffalo State College and plan on graduating this May. My duties as an intern include working with Robbyn on the Riverwatch program, assisting with the Spring Cleanup, and various other tasks.
I have spent a great deal of my childhood, teenage and adult years fishing, boating, swimming, and hiking in and around our great rivers that our region is so lucky to possess. Because of this I am glad to do anything I can to help out a great organization like Riverkeeper. I am truly amazed what this organization has accomplished in the last few years and I hope I can be a part of the many more achievements that are to come in the future.

Reflections on Water from a Renaissance Man and a Transcendentalist Poet Philosopher

2007-01-23T16:00:00.000-05:00

Leonardo da Vinci , the Renaissance artist/inventor and Henry David Thoreau, a Transcendentalist naturalist/poet/philosopher, both wrote articulately and artistically about water.

In a time when scientists believed the world consisted of only four elements--water, air, fire, and earth--Leonardo da Vinci dreamed up sophisticated inventions and experiments. In his notebooks, he wrote extensively about his observations of eddies and currents and described 12 different kinds of waves. In explaining why the surface of flowing rivers presents "protuberances and hollows," da Vinci said that "just as a pair of stockings which cover the legs reveal what is hidden beneath them, so the part of the water which lies on the surface reveals the nature of its base." He obviously knew the Mediterranean region very well! Oh, and try to stump somebody with this riddle of water some day--"In its rapid course it often serves as a support to things heavier than itself. . .It submerges with itself in headlong course things lighter than itself."

Read da Vinci's comparison of bodies of water to the bodies of humans:

". . . as man has within himself bones as a stay and framework for the flesh, so the world has the rocks which are the supports of the earth; as man has within him a pool of blood wherein the lungs as he breathes expand and contract, so the body of the earth has its ocean, which also rises and falls every six hours with the breathing of the world; as from the said pool of blood proceed the veins which spread their branches through the human body, in just the same manner the ocean fills the body of the earth with an inifite number of veins of water."

Henry David Thoreau spent idyllic months observing and recording the passing of seasons around Walden Pond in Massachusetts. Read what he has to say about a halcyon inland lake:

. . . it is the earth's liquid eye, a mirror in the breast of nature. The sins of the wood are washed out in it. See how the woods form an amphitheatre about it, and it is an arena for all the genialness of nature. All trees direct the traveler to its brink, all paths seek it out, birds fly to it, quadrupeds flee to it, and the very ground inclines toward it. It is nature's saloon, where she has sat down to her toilet. Consider her silent economy and tidiness; how the sun comes with his evaporation to sweep the dust from its surface each morning, and a fresh surface is constantly welling up; and annually, after whatever impurities have accumulated herein, its liquid transparency appears again in the spring. In summer a hushed music seems to sweep across its surface. But now a plain sheet of snow conceals it from our eyes, except where the wind has swept the ice bare, and the sere leaves are gliding from side to side, tacking and veering on their tiny voyages."

Secret Fish Conversations

2007-01-09T10:05:00.000-05:00

Talking Fish: Wide Variety Of Sounds Discovered
(excerpts from an article by Charles Q. Choi, LiveScience)

Scientists are discovering unusual mechanisms by which fish make and hear secret whispers, grunts and thumps to attract mates and ward off the enemy. In one bizarre instance, seahorses create clicks by tossing their heads. They snap the rear edge of their skulls against their star-shaped bony crests.

There are more than 25,000 species of fish living today, more kinds than any other animal form with a backbone in the history of the planet. A lot of them appeared to have done well in school.

"We know so far that at least 1,000 fish species make sounds, with a huge diversity of means by which they generate and listen to sounds," fish behaviorist Timothy Tricas at the University of Hawaii at Manoa said.

Tricas and his colleagues studied butterflyfishes, a family that includes 126 species with bright colors and striking patterns found on just about every coral reef in the world. Using underwater cameras and sound recorders known as hydrophones on Hawaiian coral reefs, Tricas and his colleagues discovered butterflyfish emitted several types of sounds using tail slaps, fin flicks, fin spine extensions, grunts and jumps.

"We know butterflyfish swim very close together," Tricas said. "What we think might be happening is they are essentially whispering, and have to swim close together to listen."

A fish that other scientists have recently investigated is the pearlfish. Curiously, these dwell inside living sea stars or tubular creatures known as sea cucumbers. While a number of fish, such as the toadfish, communicate with their swim bladders by rapidly twitching it back and forth with muscles, the pearlfish instead use a much slower muscle that generates strong, low frequency sounds which pearlfish may use to speak with others, advertising their presence even from inside their homes.

"Think of the pearlfish swim bladder as a bongo drum. If you could grab its skin and let it go like a rubber band to go thunk, that's what the pearlfish is doing, some four to 20 times per second," Tricas said. "It's a highly novel system that I've never heard of anything like before."

Studying fish sounds could help shed light on the evolution of communication and hearing, as well as related behaviors, such as finding of mates or defending of territory, Tricas said. For instance, the fact that butterflyfish can effectively only whisper "may help explain the evolution of their pairing behavior, why the fish appear so social, and why almost all butterflyfish affiliate with one another so often."

Currently the purposes of some fish sounds remain complete mysteries. "There were early claims that seahorse clicking increased in intensity during courtship, but no evidence has been found to support that. It's a tantalizing question for scientists to work on," said marine conservationist Amanda Vincent, director of Project Seahorse in Vancouver.

Good News: Great Lakes Shooting Range Nixed!!

2006-12-19T10:16:00.000-05:00

The U.S. Coast Guard said Monday it was withdrawing plans to periodically close 2,500 square miles of the Great Lakes for live machine-gun firing exercises.The plan had been criticized by several U.S. and Canadian mayors, business leaders and environmentalists who said it could be unsafe and disruptive. Environmentalists also said they worried about the consequences of lead ammunition being deposited in the Great Lakes.

During several public hearings in the region, Coast Guard officials said the training exercises were vital to its homeland security and law enforcement missions. The plan called for crews to shoot at floating targets with M240-B automatic rifles aboard cutters, rescue boats and other vessels. Each of the 34 "safety zones" on lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario would have been closed to private vessels for four-hour spans about four to eight times a year. Exercises would have taken place in each zone two or three times a year.

Raising safety concerns, some of the zones overlapped established vessel routes, including those of Michigan-to-Wisconsin car ferries and the Beaver Island ferries originating from Charlevoix on Lake Michigan. Hugh McDiarmid Jr., spokesman for the Michigan Environmental Council, said the group was worried about 7,000 pounds of lead that would be deposited annually into the lakes. "There really was no examination of where this lead would fall and what it would do," he said.

Rear Adm. John E. Crowley Jr., commander of the Ninth Coast Guard District in Cleveland, said he would "take the time to get this right" and would not conduct live-fire training in the lakes to meet non-emergency training requirements. Crowley said he planned to reconsider public concerns and was committed to finding "environmentally friendly alternatives to the lead ammunition we currently use."

(excerpts from an article by Ken Thomas/AP Washington)

EPA Shenanigans

2006-12-18T15:43:00.000-05:00

On Monday Waterkeeper Alliance, Peconic Baykeeper and Long Island Soundkeeper filed a challenge against EPA in the Second Circuit to overturn their new rule which interprets that the word "pollutant" excludes pesticides.

Under current federal law, a Clean Water Act permit is required whenever a pollutant is discharged into a water of the United States. Under the new rule, pesticides are not considered pollutants and can be applied directly into water or sprayed nearby or onto foliage over water without a pollution permit, so long as it is done in accordance with its labeling instructions, and as long as the pesticide is intended to target the pests, and getting the pesticides into the water is "unavoidable."

The EPA claims that pesticide labels are sufficient to guarantee protection of water, but most of these chemicals are not designed for use in water and the impacts of most of these chemicals to aquatic ecosystems have not been studied. Many of these chemicals are toxic to aquatic plants and animals, and they are not removed by the most common water treatment processes. We will keep you posted.

Wanted: Ice Fishers

2006-12-12T12:37:00.000-05:00

The Buffalo Museum of Science is looking for knowledgeable ice fishers to talk about the art of ice fishing December 26-29 at the Buffalo Museum of Science. Topics could include targeted species, ice fishing techniques, gear, etc. Participants are also encouraged to bring their own gear to show. The Museum is going to set up an ice fishing hut as a demonstration. If interested, please contact Meghan Dye at mdye@sciencebuff.org or at 896-5200 ext. 352.

Lake Sturgeon Update

2006-12-11T13:04:00.000-05:00

Lake Sturgeon Risks Extinction, Canada Researchers Say
(excepts from an article by Jonathan Spicer, Reuters)

A fish whose ancestors date back 400 million years could be just 150 years from extinction, a group of Canadian researchers said this week. The lake sturgeon, one of North America's oldest and largest fish, could disappear completely unless conservation efforts are redoubled. The fish is particularly sensitive to outside threats because of its long lifespan and the fact that it doesn't reach sexual maturity until its third decade.

"If you do something to disturb that natural population -- for example, fishing them -- it will very quickly reduce the number of larger individuals that are capable of reproduction," said researcher Robert Campbell. "It takes a long time for that population to recover."
For the same reasons, the species would take about 150 years -- or three generations -- to go extinct, Campbell said.

The fish has a shark-like appearance but no teeth, feeding on worms, leeches, larvae and small fish. It can grow as large as 185 kilograms (400 pounds) to a maximum recorded age of 154 years. It was once very abundant in the Great Lakes but is now rarely seen because of over-fishing, pollution, and habitat loss due to dams, which fragment the populations and change river flows, Campbell said.

The lake sturgeon were a valuable resource for native Indians and early European settlers who used the fish as a source of smoked meat and oils. More recently, people have harvested many of the sturgeon species, including lake sturgeon, for caviar.

Canadian provinces and several U.S. states protect the giant fish, which has already vanished from some regions.

Riverkeeper Holiday Party 2006

2006-12-05T14:25:00.000-05:00

Dear Captains,

Our potluck party is on for this Sunday, December 10th! Remember, you don't have to bring anything extravagant - just a snack, dish, drink OR dessert that others can share, homemade or storebought, vegetable or meat.
Here is what people plan to bring so far:

Vegetable Tettrazinni
Vegan French Silk Pie
Hot Cider
Spring Water
Winter Root Chili
Spinach Bread
Vegetable Lasagna
Meat Chili
Cheddar - Vidalia Onion Dip & Crackers

I will add to this list as people get back to me!

Gone Birdin'

2006-11-20T14:07:00.000-05:00

Hi all!

This past Saturday, at a bright and early 8am, some River captains and the Riverkeeper staff headed out for a Captain's training session on birding. We toured Grand Island and ended up on Goat Island in Niagara falls State Park and, thanks to Jim and Ed, we were able to see some pretty incredible birds. We spotted some goldeneyes and buffleheads on Grand Island and we even spotted a beautiful white coyote checking us out from across the river on Navy Island. Once on Goat Island, Jim and Ed spotted a mature and an immature black-crowned night heron perching near the rapids. Check out the slide show on our myspace page to see some more pictures: www.myspace.com/bnriverkeeper

Halloween Fun with the Buffalo River

2006-11-10T09:10:00.000-05:00

Well, I really wanted to be a Star Trek character for Halloween, but then I decided that our local waterways were just begging to be made into a costume. So--I decided to dress up as our beloved but troubled Buffalo River. Note the fish caught in the six-pack plastic ring--the quart of motor oil from stormwater runoff--the tootsie rolls to stand for sewage overflows--a lovely mallard duck on my shoulder--and a fishy shower curtain for a cape. Maybe it could be the start of a cool trend in river wear? I wonder what Niagara Falls would look like as a costume . . .

VHS Update

2006-11-01T15:38:00.000-05:00

Dear Captains,

Recently we alerted you to the presence of a new fish disease, Viral hemorrhagic septicemia, impacting our local aquatic friends.

Due to the potential adverse effects of this disease on fish populations and the desire to prevent or delay its spread to other states, the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) issued a Federal Order on October 24, 2006, that prohibits the importation of certain species of live fish from Ontario and Quebec and interstate movement of the same species from eight states bordering the Great Lakes, effective immediately, included are New York.

Fish species included in the federal prohibition are: Atlantic cod, black crappie, bluegill, bluntnose minnow, brown bullhead, brown trout, burbot, channel catfish, chinook salmon, coho salmon, chum salmon, emerald shiner, freshwater drum, gizzard shad, grayling, haddock, herring, Japanese flounder, largemouth bass, muskellunge, Pacific cod, northern pike, pink salmon, pumpkinseed, rainbow trout, redhorse sucker, rock bass, rockling, round goby, smallmouth bass, sprat, turbot, walleye, white bass, white perch, whitefish and yellow perch. Additional fish will be added to the order as they are confirmed to be carriers of this disease. Additional information on the Federal Order can be found on the APHIS website www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/aqua/ .

Ellicott Creek News

2006-10-19T14:35:00.000-04:00

Captain Mark Casper submitted this photo of a suspicious pipe with outflow entering Ellicott Creek in the woods north of Glen Park.

Other captains (particularly Ellicott Creek people!) are welcome to join us in assessing this area and performing further E Coli tests. We plan on meeting there next Wednesday, so please call the office (852-7483) if you'd like to come!

We will be conducting water quality testing at locations around the watershed throughout the fall - let us know if you'd like us to come to your territory and work with you.

Stayed tuned for more info on water test kit availability.

New Mercury Studies

2006-10-19T14:04:00.000-04:00

News from the American Chemical Society, September 29, 2006

Mercury In Fish Damages Pancreatic Cells

Researchers in Taiwan say they have established for the first time that the mercury compound contaminating some seafood can damage insulin-producing cells in the pancreas.

In their experiments, Shing-Hwa Liu and colleagues exposed cell cultures of insulin-producing beta cells to methylmercury. They used concentrations of methylmercury at about the same levels as people would consume in fish under the U. S. Food and Drug Administration's recommended limits.

Previous studies have shown that methylmercury is toxic to various cells. Liu and colleagues now have added pancreatic beta cells to that list.

Liu said in an interview: "Further research is needed on whether methylmercury exposure increases the risk of diabetes in humans."

Great Lakes Conference

2006-09-28T18:00:00.000-04:00

This past weekend, Robin and I attended the Great Lakes Restoration Conference in Cleveland Ohio. After hearing the Politicians’ speeches and the lectures on the importance of the Great Lakes as habitat and fresh water supply, I felt that a lot of precious time was spent preaching to the choir. The conference succeeded, however, in leaving me with a sense of urgency because my overall impression was that our Great Lakes are in a precarious state.
I believe that as Western New Yorkers, our connection to Lake Erie is immutable. My Grandparents rode on the Canadiana, went to Crystal Beach as children, danced at the Crystal Beach dance hall. They then took their children to the beach to share in the happy memories. My parents went on dates to Crystal Beach Park. Later, when my sister and I were little, we spent summer days on the beach. This was a family tradition full of memories of happy childhood, hot sand and cold water, the breeze off the lake, the smell of sugar waffles and French fries, the taste of loganberry.
When I was around the age of nine, not only did the park close but the beach closed too because people were contracting diseases from the water. The point is that I would love to be able to pass on the tradition of enjoying Lake Erie. However, the failure to ensure clean water to drink and swim in renders us helpless to protect our children, the most vulnerable members of society, from unknown dangers lurking in the water.
Now more than ever it is important for those in Washington to hear how we feel about our lake. They need to know that we do not want a permanent Keep Out sign on nature’s playground. We do not want the water sold off to Las Vegas or Asia. We need to encourage our Government to invest in this priceless resource. The Great Lakes needs your help.
To get involved visit: www.healthylakes.org

Great Lakes Restoration Conference in Cleveland

2006-09-26T15:11:00.000-04:00

Shannon Holland and I went to Cleveland over the weekend for a conference discussing restoration of the Great Lakes. I came away impressed with the urgency of protecting and restoring the Great Lakes before they reach an ecological "tipping point." The rapidity of the deterioration in the Great Lakes is truly alarming--for example, the population of diporeia, tiny freshwater shrimp that make up 80% of food for Great Lakes fish, have declined 94% in Lake Michigan alone since 1994. Every 8 months, a new invasive species is introduced to the Great Lakes system. There are already 160 invasive species.

The huge inland seas, which make up 95% of the fresh water in the United States, face a host of stresses threatening ecosystem breakdown, including invasive species, over fishing, nutrient loading, toxic chemicals, abusive land use practices, hydrological alterations, and climate change. The dead zone has reappeared in Lake Erie.

Eight states, 2 provinces, 35 native tribes, and 40 million people surround the Great Lakes. Five of the Great Lakes states are swing states in the upcoming election. We have to make our elected officials realize that restoration of this priceless natural resource is a priority with voters. When Congress allocated $4 billion dollars to restore the Everglades, we realized that largescale federal restoration is possible. We know enough to act, but the government has to allocate the money--$20 billion dollars is needed.

I was also struck by Cleveland's similarity to Buffalo. Both cities are trying to emerge from their heavy industrial past by revitalizing their waterfront. But Cleveland's waterfront was not all it was cracked up to be, in my opinion. Clevelanders are stymied by lack of public access to the waterfront, which is blocked by industry and residential development. Dike 14, Cleveland's equivalent of Times Beach, is still technically a Confined Disposal Facility that the Army Corps of Engineers wants to use for dredge materials. Whiskey Island, a 20-acre patch of green space with sand volleyball courts and a marina nestled in front of Cleveland's industrial sector, is under threat of takeover from Cleveland's Port Authority for use as a gravel pit.

Buffalo has amazing potential for waterfront revitalization--it appears that the NFTA is finally going to relinquish possession of the Outer Harbor, and the Niagara River Greenway is in the planning process. Today, a visitor from Portland, Oregon walked into our office to convey her admiration for the Citizens' Vision for the Outer Harbor in our window. I hope that vision will become a reality in Buffalo.

Ellicott Island Park

2006-09-26T15:04:00.000-04:00

We had a great turnout at Ellicott Island Park! About thirty participants came ranging in ages from 2 to 70. Teachers and students from Heritage Heights Elementary came to support this event, their help and enthusiasm was greatly appreciated. We also had college students from UB, UB Law, and SUNY Fredonia. Suprisingly the park was in pretty good shape, unfortunatley it looked like most of the garbage was already in the water. The team found bottles, car parts, a children's play oven, a big gallon drum, and a knife! AHH! Hopefully, we made the park cleaner for our water, and safer for the public. Thanks to everyone involved in the Cleanup! We are looking forward to the Spring!

EPA Library to be Closed to Public

2006-09-25T13:24:00.000-04:00

Captains and Friends,
Some news to get you riled up this week, courtesy of the Waterkeeper Alliance listserv:

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is closing its Headquarters Library to the public, as well as its own staff, effective October 1. This shutdown is the latest in a series of agency library closures during the past few weeks, according Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). As with the other library collections, the books, reports and research monographs in the EPA Headquarters Library have been boxed up and are currently inaccessible to anyone.

EPA will not say when any of this material will again become available to its staff or the public either via the internet or through inter-library loans. As the agency claims that the library closures are for budgetary reasons, it has no dedicated funds for digitizing hard copies, making microfiche available online or re-cataloguing the tens of thousands of documents that will be relocated to large storage areas called "information repositories."

EPA made a formal announcement of this latest library closure in a Federal Register notice published on September 20, 2006, just days before the complete shutdown takes effect.

For more info check out:

EPA Begins Closing Libraries: http://www.yubanet.com/artman/publish/article_40955.shtml
EPA's response: http://www.yubanet.com/artman/publish/article_40991.shtml
EPA Employee Responds: http://www.yubanet.com/artman/publish/article_41345.shtml
Latest update on closures: http://www.yubanet.com/artman/publish/article_41281.shtml

Autumn cleanup a sweeping success!

2006-09-20T12:28:00.000-04:00

Congratulations to all of our hard working site captains and volunteers for a successful Autumn Beach Sweep! Last weekend's event was our best fall cleanup yet; I estimate 700 people at our 31 sites in 13 municipalities. We cleaned shorelines of the Niagara River, Buffalo River, Scajaquada Creek, Ellicott Creek, Tonawanda Creek, both Cayuga Creeks, Buffalo Creek, and Lakes Erie and Ontario!

Reports are still rolling in, but interesting finds this year include two scooters, a basketball, boomerang, nude photos, hypodermic needles, a large animal skeleton, shopping carts, jug of clay, grinding wheel, zucchini, mittens, roll of duct tape, drug paraphernalia, over 75 spent shotgun shells, golf club, car seat, urine sample, street sign, lotto tickets, and corrugated hose.

At Gratwick Park, where Rick and I cleaned up, we found a broken bat, fishing line, an awful lot of plastic bits and styrofoam, and many (empty) drug baggies. Happily, the interesting wetland plants established during the cleanup of that site a couple of years ago are thriving! We took time to admire the healthy plants and the beautiful butterflies attracted to them as we cleaned.

Thanks so much to everyone who made this event possible. Through your efforts, our shorelines are cleaner, safer and more beautiful than ever!

New Fish Disease

2006-08-30T15:34:00.000-04:00

Friends,

The US Dept. of Agriculture reported last week that Viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS) virus, an extremely serious fish disease, is emerging in the Great Lakes region. VHS has been found in the waters of Lake Huron, Lake St. Clair, Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, and the St. Lawrence River.

This strain is responsible for die-offs in muskellunge, smallmouth bass, northern pike, freshwater drum, gizzard shad, yellow perch, black crappie, bluegill, rock bass, white bass, redhorse sucker, bluntnose sucker, round goby, and walleye.

How VHS was transferred to the Great Lakes or how long it has been in the ecosystem is not known. Mortality is highest at low water temperatures between 37 and 54 degrees Fahrenheit. This suggests we may be seeing more severe die-offs into the fall and winter.

Some fish will show no external signs while others show signs that include bulging eyes, bloated abdomens, inactive or overactive behavior, and hemorrhaging in the eyes, skin, gills, and at the base of the fins. Infected fish may also have lesions that look like those caused by other fish diseases.

Please clean your fishing equipment, boats, and trailers before using them in a new body of water and do not transfer any fish or fish parts from one body of water to another. These practices will help slow the spread of this disease. Report any die-offs on your regular captain's report.

Two Events Coming Up

2006-08-23T14:49:00.000-04:00

Fishermen and women: this Saturday, August 26 is the annual Round Goby Round-Up. Call Chris Pennuto at 878-4105 or show up at the Great Lakes Center from 8am-1pm to get your free worms! Fishing sites will include the Buffalo River as well.

Don't miss our Water Quality Test Kit Training next TUESDAY, AUGUST 29 from 6 pm to 8:30 at the Great Lakes Center. Remember to bring a sample from your waterway.

To gather a sample, purchase an new small bottle of spring water. Open the bottle at your waterway, dump out the water, fill the bottle completely with the mouth facing upstream, and replace the cap under water. Be sure not to touch the rim of the bottle with your hands (or mouth). Gather it as close to the training time as possible.

To get to the Great Lakes Center at the foot of Porter Ave. in Buffalo, take the Porter Ave. exit from the I-190. Turn right onto the drive just after the highway ramp - there will be a military training facility immediately on your left. Pass the military building and you will find the Great Lakes Center on your left.

See you there!

Successful Stenciling near Riverside Park

2006-08-22T12:17:00.000-04:00

Last week, we finally made it out to the intersection of Tonawanda and Vulcan Streets near Riverside Park to stencil some stormwater drains. Mary Rossi of the WNY Stormwater Coalition joined a Riverkeeper crew of Robbyn Drake, Shannon Holland, Megan Palame, and Robin Douglas to stencil "Dump no Waste, Drains to Niagara River" on three street stormwater drains. We earned a lot of curious stares from people who were wondering what a crew of women with bright orange vests were spray-painting on the street. In fact, one restaurant owner approached us, questioning the usefulness of what we were doing. I don't believe that stormwater stenciling is a waste of time or paint--I think it helps people realize that what we do has a direct effect on our waterways.

Look for a stormwater stenciling instruction sheet coming out soon, complete with pictures. I look forward to being a part of the stormwater campaign!

Save the date--September 15-16

2006-08-08T09:22:00.000-04:00

We're only a few weeks away from Riverkeeper's Autumn Beach Sweep, September 15-16, sponsored by the American Littoral Society. Our cleanups keep getting bigger and better--we should have well over 30 cleanup sites all over our region.

I bike a lot along Scajaquada Creek and Niagara River, particularly on the Riverwalk trail, and the summer's accumulation of garbage is easy to see (and smell). Please think about volunteering as a site captain for the cleanup--as Riverwatch captains, your close familiarity with the waterways you monitor make you ideal site captains. You can view our site list at www.bnriverkeeper.org or you can captain a new site. The river needs YOU!

No Stenciling Today

2006-08-03T13:41:00.000-04:00

In spite of the fluctuating sunshine downtown, we have a 70 percent chance that thunderstorms will wash our paint into the storm drain... so I'm going to play it safe and CANCEL today's stenciling.

We will try again next Thursday, August 10 at 4:00 pm. Hope for sunny skies (or at least better than half a chance at them) next week.

Riverwatch Captain's Log

2006-07-27T22:40:00.000-04:00

Good evening fellow River Watchers!

My name is Ben Vilonen of Tonawanda Creek Road, a recent graduate of Landscape Architecture from the College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse. Back home in Amherst for over a year, after 6 years in and out of town for school and travel. I too was a child of Nature View and the Erie Canal, two important factors in my choice to enter the environmental studies- and of course the annual wilderness canoe trips with my family had some influence.

Fishers, kayakers, canoers, yachters, seado-ers, pleasure boaters, serious pleasure boaters, ridulously serious pleasure boaters, and my favorite, the occassioanal gang of tubers can be found on the water. All of these individuals vie for the same narrow water course during our brief summers. As a volunteer fireman in North Amherst i can say that the vast majority never have an incident.

At the same time that the Canal has never been busier with traffic, it also teems with a variety of wildlife. I am just waiting and hoping to catch sight of an eagle someday-seems plausable, yes?

I have yet to see a spill of any sort in the water this past year, even the spring melt was reletivly light and it seemed that less sediment was in the suspension this spring- despite a couple of questionably legitimate storm water and erosion/sediment control practices going on inland at some new house farms on Campbell...we can save all that for another night.

In conclusion i would like to warn/inform everyone out there that at about 10:00 am this morning a truck was seen spraying what the driver said was HYDRATED ROUNDUP on the foliage of trees and other vegetation lining Tonawanda Creek road. Mind you that no one on the street was informed, and the wind speeds were much to high to be using a high pressure blast sprayer which creates a big cloud of mist. Unfortunalty the event itself was not documented, but subsequent follow-up postings will record just how good of a job the company did. Maybe todays rain will help mitigate the effects of the spraying-I just hope this is not going to become a common maintainance practice for the county.

From Jams to Mink

2006-07-27T12:07:00.000-04:00

Hello Captains! A few updates and interesting news bits for you:

LOG JAMS: tomorrow I'll be meeting with Mike Wilkinson of NYSDEC, along with Ellicott Creek captains, at a big old log jam on Ellicott Creek to discuss the ecological issues of dam removal. Removal helps water flow, boat access and trash removal, but can be destructive to the shoreline habitat if done with a heavy hand (or heavy equipment). If you'd like to add your two cents, or just listen in, join us at 4pm at the car pulloff on North Forest Road in Amherst, just north of the Weinberg campus, where the bike path begins.

STORM DRAIN STENCILING: if you missed the first one, we will be holding a repeat performance for the benefit of our staff. This time we all get to wear snappy highway vests! Join us NEXT THURSDAY, August 3 at 4pm on the north end of Tonawanda St. near Vulcan in Riverside.

WARNING: NYSDEC has found dead birds contaminated with Type E botulism on Lake Ontario shorelines. Remember not to handle dead or sick wildlife or fish!! For details see the notice on the front page of http://www.bnriverkeeper.org

WILDLIFE SIGHTING: Mike Schlicht and I saw a mink on the shore of Ellicott Creek while checking out the log jam! Also present were several sunning painted turtles. What's your interesting wildlife sighting this week?

Please respond if you plan to join us on one of these events - and let us know if you have questions about the blog. Have a great weekend!

PS: I thought you'd get a kick out of this painting, from London street artist Banksy. Reminds me of some of our creeks around cleanup time!

Welcome to the Riverwatch Captains Log!

2006-07-15T09:24:00.000-04:00

As the director of the Riverwatch program, I’m thrilled to welcome our dedicated captains to this new web log. You each have so much to offer – now you have the opportunity to share your ideas and experiences immediately with the entire group of captains. I hope you’ll make thorough use of this site to post your questions, thoughts and photographs for everyone’s benefit! If you have any problems with the blog, please call us right away at the office (852-7483) or email me at rdrake@bnriverkeeper.org. Don’t be shy – this is my first attempt at “blogging”, too!

Take a moment to look through the earlier posts and get to know our hard-working interns. Robin, Shannon and Megan never rest in their efforts to make Riverkeeper a more effective environmental advocate. Their efforts and enthusiasm have supported the growth of our Riverwatch volunteer monitoring program from a mere idea into a functioning project with enormous potential to improve our waterways.

As for me… I’ve been involved with environmental issues for just about as long as I can remember. As a small child, I recall taking early morning fishing expeditions with my brother on Tonawanda Creek. I was entranced by the chilly morning stillness, the drifting of fog banks across the water, the crackling of our little campfire on the shore. As a teenager, I worked with family, neighbors and friends to preserve my favorite place in the world, a 1200-acre tract of woods in north Amherst that came to be known as Natureview Park. After nearly 10 years, these efforts bore fruit this spring when the Town finally signed a contract with the WNY Land Conservancy to preserve the land.

I had the opportunity and good fortune to work with NYS Parks – Niagara region and Earth Spirit Educational Services as I was earning my bachelor’s degree at UB. With NYS Parks, I fell in love with the Niagara River and spent many fond days developing the nature center at Fort Niagara and exploring the mysteries of the Niagara Gorge. I also traveled a bit during this time and made friends with some great rivers and wild places around the country.

In April 2003 I came to Riverkeeper, then called Friends of the Buffalo Niagara Rivers. Like Robin and Shannon, I served as an intern through the Americorps program as I deepened my understanding of our watershed learned the issues facing us. I must have proved my mettle because I was eventually hired on as staff by the end of 2004. I have worked on many Riverkeeper projects, but developing the Riverwatch program and seeing the enthusiasm of our captains has been the most rewarding and enjoyable of them all!

We’ll all be posting regularly with useful news and updates, as well as our thoughts and impressions of the work we do here at Riverkeeper. See you here!

Riverkeeper Intern- Contact Me About Blogging

2006-07-14T23:01:00.000-04:00

As an environmental studies major at the University at Buffalo, I had the opportunity to be the first intern for the Riverkeepers from my program. The Riverkeeper team has graciously embraced my willingness and enthusiasm to be a part of the group. Even though I grew up in Buffalo, I never experienced or even learned about the Buffalo River until the end of last semester in one my Great Lakes Ecology classes. The knowledge that I have obtained is something worth sharing and promoting; therefore, I have concentrated my work with the group as a community outreach coordinator. Along with Shannon and Robin, we have focused our efforts on tabling local events, web updating and design, upcoming cleanups, and even this blog. The need for clean water is not only important for the ecosystem but also for the local residents. The Riverkeepers relentless work has provided Western New York with the hope that the waterways will be restored and preserved for many years to come. With our outreach efforts, the goal is to reach the uninformed and I can admit that I was once one of them!

It is with my best intentions that this Blog works out for the Riverwatch Captains. Riverwatch Captains can only post on this blog, but the public can view it anytime to check it out and can make comments too. To all members of the blog, if you have any questions please contact me. After your first post, you will not be able to stop!

Giant Hogweed Sighting

2006-07-14T10:45:00.000-04:00

Dear Riverwatch Captains:
I have met many of you at captain trainings and hope to get to know you all better through our new Riverwatch blog. I would like to thank you all for your hard work and dedication to your local streams and rivers.

I'm not a Buffalo native--I grew up in northeastern Pennsylvania (near the great Susquehanna River) and attended Houghton College in Allegheny County, New York. I majored in music, with a concentration in voice, and sociology. I moved to Buffalo last June and joined AmeriCorps in January with a placement at Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper.

I love my job! I have learned so much about Buffalo-Niagara region's history and the environmental challenges it faces. It's also given me an interesting perspective on other cities' water-related efforts. I recently visted Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington while on choir tour. In Portland, I saw a sign along the waterfront detailing the city's struggles with combined sewer overflows on the Willamette River. In Seattle, I saw a billboard questioning the quality of the water supply since the incidence of multiple scleorosis in the Northwest is the highest in the world. Even though these cities are environmentally progressive and popular places to live and visit, they are still dealing with the same issues that we face in our watershed.

The Northwest even has Giant Hogweed, too. Mike Goehle, one of our Riverwatch captains, recently reported a giant hogweed plant along the Buffalo River near the Harlem Rd. fishing access site. Robbyn Drake and I visited the site to get a close-up of this invasive species from Asia. Giant Hogweed is a rather nasty member of the parsley family, which includes Queen Anne's lace and cow parsnip. In appearance, it closely resembles cow parsnip but reaches herculean proportions--hogweed can grow as high as 15-20 feet with leaves 3-5 wide and umbles 2 feet wide. Its sap is most worrisome, however. Hogweed sap causes blistering and sensitizes the skin to ultraviolet radiation. Sun exposure on sap-coated skin can ultimately lead to purplish, blackened scars and outbreaks that can persist for years. Giant Hogweed is classified as a Class A Noxious Weed and a public health hazard. Check out Michigan state's online brochure about hogweed on
http://www.michigan.gov/documents/
MDA_Hogweed_Brochure_2_115074_7.pdf
Please see the picture above.

See you all at the next training and please blog!

2006-07-13T15:49:00.000-04:00

Hello Riverwatch Captains! This is Shannon, one of the interns working for the Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper as an Americorps intern. I have been interested in environmental issues since elementary school when I would drive my parents nuts telling them to recycle. I majored in Environmental Policy at the Rochester Institute of Technology so I am so happy that I found a job related to my field in Buffalo.

When I first started with Riverkeeper, Robbyn took us on tours of different sites along the Niagara River, Buffalo River and their tributaries. She pointed out potential areas for habitat restoration that I never knew existed. I have since become very interested in habitat restoration as well as invasive species. I am looking forward to the Captain's training where we will be learning to remove invasives such as the purple loosestrife. I think that restoring indiginous plant species will help to restore air and water quality, which will help everyone.

Buffalo River Boat Ride

2006-07-13T14:40:00.000-04:00

On Monday, July 10, Caleb (Riverwatch Captain) from the Great Lakes Center took us on a boat tour of the Buffalo River. Although the morning was filled with thunder and rain, the weather turned around making it a beautiful trip. Attendees were Jill Jedlicka, Robin Douglas, Shannon Holland, and Robbyn Drake. We spotted major overgrowth of Japanese knotweed, two great blue herons, and many Canada geese and their goslings. Other than a drum of unknown substances, the river looked pretty clean from debris and litter. I am looking forward to the progress and improvements made by the RAP, as well as the findings of the Riverwatch Captains.